Shots Fired
by ImprovisedKatastrophe
Summary: An alternate take on 1X19 with a healthier dose of Sevasey! What would have happened if the shots pumped into the firehouse had actually hit somebody?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Does anyone remember me? I was writing a lot in the spring but then my account got hacked and my stories deleted. I've managed to recover my writings and am now attempting to return to FF. If you were an old fan and wish to see my stories republished, or perhaps you're a new fan (WELCOME!), then please PM me or review letting me know! I'll happily update my stories in the next day or so!**

 **Hey everybody! Here's a sneak peek of my new story Shots Fired. This is an AU version of episode 1x19, as requested by Pallada. I have the majority of this story written and will post a new chapter every day! Enjoy!**

Severide felt the annoyance building up inside him, moving to cover up the hurt he was feeling. Seeing Heather Darden coming out of Matt's house had hurt more than he cared to admit, and just when he and Casey had been getting back to normal. Shaking his head, he moved towards the trucks parked in the bay.

"Heather Darden and I? We're just friends, Kelly," Casey repeated, following the other lieutenant into the bay. "She fell asleep , I let her stay so I could go to bed. She was on the couch!"

"Whatever you say, Casey," Severide scoffed. "I'm done listening."

"Why can't you admit you might be wrong?" Matt seethed, feeling more drained then he should at the beginning of the shift.

"I can admit I'm wrong about many things," Kelly argued, walking towards the bay doors. "But what I don't get is why Heather won't speak to me, but will _sleep_ with you when _you_ put her husband through that window!"

For a brief second, Kelly saw hurt flash through Matt's blue eyes and his heart clenched. Mentally berating himself, he opened his mouth to apologize. But before he could say anything to fix his harsh words, he saw something else flash through the blue orbs; Fear.

Sudden, loud pops rang out as Casey ran full speed at Severide, shoving him to the ground with such force that the squad lieutenant slid a few feet.

Sitting up angrily, Kelly frowned, the noises not registering momentarily. "What the hell, Matt?!" he fumed before his eyes landed on Matt. Realizing that Casey was also on the ground, blood seeping from his shoulder, Kelly scrambled towards him. "Matt!"

The 'pops' of gunfire continued as bullets peppered the fire house. Severide rushed to Matt's side, frantically checking him over. A bullet wound now graced his right shoulder, just below his collarbone. Kelly quickly discovered it was a through-and-through before tearing his shirt off. Placing half of it beneath Casey, against the exit wound, he used the remainder to press firmly on the jagged entrance.

"Matt!" he barked, noticing the other man's dazed expression. Blue eyes blinked up at him slowly.

"Sev?" he bit out. "You okay?"

"Am _I_ okay?" Kelly asked, biting back a few curses. "Yeah, you idiot…I'm fine. You're the one who got yourself _shot_!"

"Couldn't…couldn't let you get shot," Matt explained quietly, wincing.

Severide felt another twinge of guilt but the overwhelming fear for Matt's life was stronger. Hearing a sudden lack of gunshots, Kelly looked around for the other members of the firehouse. Seeing nobody at first, he glanced back down at the rapidly paling face of his best friend.

"Shay!" he called frantically, feeling Matt's slick blood coating his fingers. "Oh God…Shay!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Here is the next installment of Shots Fired, as promised! In regards to the update question, I will do my best to update daily or every other day for the next week or so. Then I'm going to move to updating Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Thanks for all of the great reviews! They really mean the world to me! I hope you enjoy!**

Hearing the angry discussion between the two lieutenants, Shay frowned. Kelly would regret his harsh words later. _Something must've happened earlier_ , she mused. Severide had been fine when he'd left the apartment that morning, intent on checking on the younger lieutenant. Shrugging, Shay figured they'd work the problem out eventually; they always seemed to.

There was a sudden cacophony of pops and glass shattering. Shay instinctively dropped to the ground, recognizing the sound of gunfire. Glancing around, she was relieved to see most other members of the house. So far, everyone looked unscathed. Then she realized she could no longer see Kelly or Matt, as they were in front of the trucks.

Her heart leapt in her chest; there was no sign of either lieutenant. Suddenly, she heard Kelly's voice and breathed a small sigh of relief. The shots were too loud to make out the words but hearing his voice meant that he was alive. As suddenly as it had begun, the gunfire ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. Seconds later, a voice broke through.

"Shay!" The paramedic froze momentarily. The voice was panicked and had tinges of fear, something rarely heard in Kelly Severide's voice. "Oh God…Shay!"

At the second call of her name, Shay was up and running, Dawson on her heels. Turning sharply at the front of Truck 81, she finally was able to see the lieutenants. Casey lay splayed out on his back and looked ghostly pale. A shirtless Severide knelt next to him, applying pressure to Matt's bloody shoulder.

"Oh my God…" she breathed, kneeling next to Matt's head. "Dawson, get the kit!"

"On it!"

"Kel," Shay started, trying to assess the situation.

"He got shot. Through-and-through, missed the collarbone and lung…still bleeding heavily, but conscious," Kelly rattled off, his eyes not leaving Matt's. "Stay with me, Matty…"

By now, the rest of 51 had begun to gather and Gabby had returned with the kit. Shay grabbed scissors and cut away Casey's shirt, being careful not to hinder Severide's pressure on the wound.

Noticing the anxious crowd of firemen, as well as their chief, Dawson spoke up. "Guys, we're going to need to room to work!"

"You heard her men, back up!" Boden complied quickly. "What else do you need, Dawson?"

"He's lost a lot of blood," Shay spoke up. "We're going to need to move quickly!"

Looking around, Dawson noticed the debris the gunfire had left in its wake. "Chief, we're going to need the glass and debris cleared from the ambo bay. We can't afford a flat."

Boden nodded, quickly sending Squad members to clear the bay in front of the ambulance. Mills and Herrmann moved to get the gurney from the back of the ambulance. Dawson, meanwhile, fixed an oxygen mask over Matt's face. Shay busied herself packing bandages and padding wound the exit wound to staunch the bleeding. Then she moved to check the fireman's vitals.

"Matt!" Kelly urged, still applying pressure on the entry wound. "Stay awake! You don't get to get yourself shot before we finish our discussion…"

"What… 'scussion?" the blonde mumbled. "Arg'ment."

"Yeah…" Severide admitted. "More of an argument. But you have to _stay awake_ …Shay?"

"He's lost a lot of blood but he's stable enough at the moment. We're going to get him up on the gurney in just a second. But it'll be tricky," she explained.

"Why?" frowned Kelly, inwardly panicking.

"The pressure you're applying had begun to staunch the blood, helping it to clot. If we separate you two or jostle him too much, he could start bleeding more and Matt doesn't have a lot of blood left to lose."

"So what's the plan?" Boden asked, concern tinging his voice.

"Chief," Shay instructed. "You, Dawson, Mills, and Herrmann will lift Casey onto the gurney. I'm going to make sure the exit wound stays bandaged. Kelly, do not let up on your pressure at all. You move _with_ them, okay?"

Severide nodded tightly as the aforementioned members of House 51 moved into position. With acknowledgements from all of them, Dawson spoke. "Ready? Lift on 3….1…2…3!"

On three, the three firemen and paramedic lifted their fallen brother, ignoring his groans. Shay kept a hand on the exit wound padding, as well as the oxygen mask. Kelly focused his everything on his blood-covered hands pressing firmly on Matt's shoulder. Once the truck lieutenant was safely secured to the gurney, Dawson moved to return the kit and start up the ambo.

Shay, meanwhile, made a split second decision. "Kelly, get on the gurney!"

"What?!" questioned Severide, looking incredulously at the paramedic.

"Straddle Matt, kneel on the gurney, and keep pressure on the wound!" she snapped. "No time to argue, Severide!"

Shay using his surname was alarming enough for Kelly to act without thinking. Keeping his hands firmly pressed against the entry wound, he maneuvered himself to kneel on the gurney, one knee on either side of Matt's torso. Had his best friend and brother not been bleeding out under his hands, Kelly might have thought twice about straddling the other lieutenant, each shirtless, in the middle of the firehouse bay. But now wasn't the time for modesty or embarrassment.

Seeing Kelly situated, Shay, with the help of Mills and Herrmann, popped the gurney up to its usual height. Then they rushed to the ambulance, carefully loading the gurney into the back. As soon as Shay and the gurney were both safely inside, the firemen shut the doors, giving them a thump. They were all eager to send it on its way to the hospital.

As they sped towards the hospital, Shay rechecked Matt's vitals. Noting the tension in both lieutenants, she sought to relax them a bit. The last thing they needed was for Kelly to slip or for his muscles to cramp out of tension and anxiety.

"You know, if Matt wasn't trying to die on us, I could totally snap pictures for a calendar," she quipped.

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "A calendar?"

"Oh yeah," she insisted, listening to Matt's lungs. "Hot, shirtless, firemen straddling one another? I could make a fortune selling a 12 month spread to the nurses alone."

Severide snickered lightly, in spite of the situation. "You hear that, Matty? She tricked me into straddling you for her side job."

"I'd b'lieve it…" Matt managed. "Sneaky Shay…"

"I think she'd go straight for us," Kelly continued, frowning as Casey's pale form shivered.

"In your dreams, Kel," Shay shot back, draping a blanket over Matt's chest. "You doing okay, Matt?"

"Cold…Sl'py…"

Kelly's brow furrowed as he stared down at his surrogate brother. Shay turned to Dawson. "ETA?!"

"3 minutes!"

"Step on it, Dawson!" Shay responded, taking Matt's pulse.

"Shay?" Severide questioned anxiously.

"He's in shock and suffering from blood loss… the sooner we get there, the better," the paramedic replied, hearing the unspoken question.

"Stay awake, Casey!" Kelly barked, causing the blue eyes to snap open suddenly.

"Kel, listen to me, okay?" Shay instructed quickly. "We're pulling up to the hospital in just a second. You're going to have to go with them, wherever they take Matt. Just stay calm and _don't_ let up unless they tell you to. I'll be waiting for you, right outside, okay? Just focus on Matt."

Severide nodded tightly, his heart racing. He'd been in tense situations before, but nothing like this. Nothing like combatting his best friend's severe blood loss with his bare hands. "Shay? Do me a favor," he requested, seeing the hospital loom into view. "Give him my medallion…"

"Kel…" Casey spoke up, eyes widening.

"It's a loan. So don't you dare die on me or it'll be locked up in an evidence locker for God knows how long. And I'll kick your ass, dead or not!" Kelly insisted. Turning to Shay, he pleaded. "Do it!"

Just as the ambo came to a stop, Shay deftly removed the St. Florian's necklace from one lieutenant's neck and secured it around the other.

Then, the chaos began. Hospital staff yanked the ambulance doors open, a few nurses helping Shay maneuver the gurney out onto the asphalt. And then they were moving, rolling swiftly towards the ER entrance. Shay jogged along beside them, filling in a doctor.

"CFD Lieutenant Matt Casey, GSW to the upper right chest/shoulder, through-and-through, heavy blood loss and shock. Exit wound successfully staunched," she quickly explained.

"And the entry wound?" the doctor shot back, frowning.

Shay gestured to Severide, still firmly pressing against the bloody shoulder. " _That_ is CFD Lieutenant Kelly Severide and his hands are the only thing stopping Matt from continuing to bleed out. He staunched the bleed and they haven't been separated since."

"Understood," the doctor quipped, carefully looking over the two firemen. "Prep OR 2! Take them to a prep room, but NOBODY touches them until I'm there!"

 **So what do you think? Will Matt survive? Will Kelly smother him with brotherly care during recovery? Will they ever discuss Heather? Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all of the support everybody! While I would really appreciate more reviews, it's really been overwhelming to have people even reading my work! Feel free to share your opinions and ideas for either this fic or maybe future ones? Here's the next installment of our Sevasey Bromance!**

Severide worked hard to focus solely on Matt, occasionally nudging the younger man with his knee to keep him conscious. "Just hang on bud…"

The gurney they were on rolled swiftly down the crowded hallways; a blur of bright lights and white was all Kelly would remember later. Quickly coming to a halt, the lieutenants were wheeled into a room with a mobile surgical table, metal plating, and numerous cabinets. Nurses bumbled around, donning scrub gowns and masks and laying the empty table flat.

A few seconds later, the doctor who'd been talking to Shay appeared, wearing surgical scrubs. He was a tall, fair-skinned man with salt and pepper hair and a seemingly permanent frown. Feeling Matt's pulse, he turned to address Severide.

"Severide right?" seeing Kelly nod, he continued. "I'm Dr. Cody Branson. We're going to take good care of Lieutenant Casey here. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"Firehouse 51 was pumped full of gunfire this morning. Matt…Matt pushed me out of the way and took a hit to the right shoulder region. I got to him and applied pressure to the exit and entry wounds and called for Shay once the gunfire stopped. She packed the exit wound and stopped the bleeding. Then she realized that I'd gotten the entry wound staunched, so she instructed me not to move or change the pressure at all."

"Yep, I gotcha," Dr. Branson nodded, motioning to a nurse. "And I completely agree. You're going to be coming along for the ride. But first we need to move you and Casey over to that rolling table. Then Jess here is going to scrub you guys up as best she can. You just keep doing precisely what you've been doing."

"How are we going to be moved," Kelly asked, gently nudging Matt awake again.

"We're going to drop the gurney down and help you off of it, pop it back up, and then slide Matt onto the table. But you keep your hands _there_ at all times," Branson instructed. "I've got to go scrub in, so just hang tight and listen to my staff, okay?"

Severide nodded stiffly as a pretty blonde came up to him. "Okay, we're going to drop you down now, so just brace yourself."

Carefully, the nurses lowered the ambo gurney to the floor. Being sure to maintain pressure on Matt's shoulder, Severide moved to crouch next to the gurney before standing as the nurses raised it.

"Alright everybody, here comes the tricky part," Jess explained. "We're going to lift him off the gurney and drop it. Then, Mr. Severide, you'll step on the gurney as we move him to the bed. We've got to move quickly. We move to the OR in 5!"

Kelly nodded quickly, letting his mind focus solely on Matt and Jess' instructions. The nurses warned him before quickly lifting Casey. Once the gurney was dropped, the fallen fireman was carefully moved to the surgical bed. Severide stayed right with them, using the lowered gurney as a step stool to continue his pressure. The second Matt was on the table, nurses bustled around to sterilize the men. One fingered the St. Florian's necklace, moving to take it off.

"No!" Kelly yelled, shocking the medical staff. "It's…it's uh…religious…"

Matt's face formed a brief smile as the nurse smiled in understanding. She then carefully began to wrap the necklace in surgical cloths. Then, Casey's bare chest was doused in chlorhexidine scrub and gloved hands wiped the antiseptic away. The process was repeated with Severide's forearms. Then a blue scrub gown was draped and tied around the Squad Lieutenant as Casey was covered with a surgical cloth, a hole cut around the wound. Each man was outfitted with a scrub cap and Kelly received a mask.

Kelly kept a running commentary for Matt, prompting him to remain conscious. Jess signaled that they had less than a minute before they'd enter OR 2. Turning to Severide, she gestured for him to move to the surgical table. With the help of two male orderlies, Kelly returned to straddling Matt, never jostling his bloody hands.

Once the Squad Lieutenant was situated, the table was rolled into the operating room. Bright lights hung low over the center of the room and metal tables full of various instruments surrounded the table the lieutenants resided on. A freshly scrubbed Dr. Branson entered with another doctor close behind him.

"This is Dr. Amistead," he introduced. "He's the anesthesiologist for this procedure."

Only then did Severide notice a nurse was outfitting Matt's arm with an IV catheter. Anxiety rose in his chest as the doctor approached with milky white liquid in a syringe. At that moment, Kelly would've given anything to switch places with Matt on that table; for it to be his arm the drug would soon be inserted into.

"Kel…" Matt spoke suddenly. "S'rry….s'rry 'bout Andy…'bout Heath…"

"Shhh Matty," Kelly cut him off. " _I'm_ sorry. We'll talk in a few hours and work this mess out, okay?"

"Just 'case," the blonde slurred at the anesthesiologist slowly fed the drug into Casey's system.

"You're going to be just fine, bud," Kelly insisted, his fear and anxiety for Matt skyrocketing as he watched the blue eyes slowly fall closed.

"Don't worry, Mr. Severide," Dr. Anistead spoke lightly. "Your friend…"

"Brother," Severide interrupted.

"What?"

"He's my Brother," Kelly affirmed, inwardly promising to repair his relationship with the blonde lieutenant.

"Well your brother will be just fine."

Dr. Branson raised an eyebrow but said nothing, motioning for his nurses to move in. "Alright, everybody, let's move quickly to allow the lieutenant to have his hands back while we save his little brother."

At this, Kelly frowned. "I never said…"

"I just know," Branson quipped, gently probing the wound near Kelly's hands. "I'm going to need suction, clamps, and gauze to pack the area, get ready!"

Severide watched as the other people in blue gowns busied themselves with grabbing the requested instruments. Dr. Branson, meanwhile, gently felt around the bloody CFD shirt and Kelly's hands.

"Alright…when I tell you to, Severide, you're going to remove your hands and lean back, out of my way. Nurse Shane, you're going to get the shirt out of the way, but be gentle. We don't want to rip out any clots or dermal scabs. Everything is going to have to move fairly quickly. Are we ready?"

Kelly nodded stiffly, his instincts screaming at him to not let up on Matt. ' _If I move my hands, he'll bleed out!_ ' his mind inwardly panicked. But before he could rationalize with himself, Branson began.

Armed with gauze and clamps, Dr. Branson moved in close to the Truck Lieutenant's wound. " _Now_ Severide," he calmly directed.

Kelly reluctantly released his pressure on the wound, weakly holding bloodstained hands in front of him. He felt hands gently leading him back towards Casey's feet and he unconsciously scooted backwards in compliance. His eyes, however, never left his brother's pale form.

A nurse gently peeled the ruined shirt from the wound, bringing forth small rivers of crimson. Branson moved in instantly, calling for suction as he packed the wound with gauze. Sudden alarms sounded as the monotonous beeping of Matt's heart began to accelerate.

Unbridled fear coursed through Kelly's veins, filling them with ice. _'MATT!'_ he panicked, watching the sudden flurry of action as the medical staff swarmed the operating table. A cacophony of medical jargon filled the air.

"BP's dropping!"

"He's losing a lot of blood!"

"Arrhythmic heartbeat!"

"Clamps…Suction…good. Someone find me 5 ott suture?"

Kelly's mind spun trying to process all of the confusion. Something was clearly wrong with Matt, if the whining alarm was any indication. Hands suddenly grabbed Severide's biceps, firmly leading him off of the table. He found himself led into a small room with a metallic basin lining the one wall. Automatically stepping back towards the room containing Matt, Kelly was surprised when the blonde nurse from before barred his path.

"You can't go back in there, Lieutenant," Jess explained. "Let Dr. Branson do his job."

"What's happening?" he asked frantically, trying to see past the nurse into the OR.

"Lieutenant Casey's heart had to work harder to pump blood once the wound was unstaunched. It caused his blood pressure to drop. They're working to stabilize him and to patch up the wound."

"But he's going to be okay, right?" Kelly persisted.

"We'll do everything we can," Jess promised, removing the scrub gown from the squad lieutenant. She then washed the blood from the man's hands, noting the haunted look his eyes had adopted.

 _I did everything I could, Sev…_ Matt's desperate voice reverberated through Kelly's head. Jess' words had unknowingly triggered a flashback to a drunken night a few weeks back. Matt had shown up completely hammered, desperate to convince Kelly that he hadn't meant for Andy to die.

As the nurse washed his hands and handed him a clean scrub top, Kelly's mind kept flashing to a pair of watery blue eyes; ones he desperately wanted to open again. Once he pulled the shirt on, he removed the mask and scrub cap from his head, shakily noticing the scarlet tinge his hands retained. Somehow, he followed Jess through the various hallways and found himself in a noisy waiting room. He looked around blankly before spotting Shay standing near a desk.

"Kelly!" she called, rushing to wrap him in a tight hug. Severide let himself sink into the embrace, burying his face in the junction of her neck and shoulder. His roommate tightened her grip before leading him over to a secluded spot of the waiting area.

Once seated, Shay grasped his hand. She noticed the glazed look in his eyes and frowned. He didn't seem to be able to focus. "What's wrong, Kel?"

That snapped him out of his daze. Whipping around to glare at Shay, Kelly fumed. "What's _wrong_ , Shay? What the hell do you mean _what's wrong_? Matt's been _shot_. He's bleeding out on some damn operating table!"

At this point, he began pacing. Shay reached for him, "Kelly…Stupid question, I get it."

Shrugging her off, he continued his pacing, staring at his hands. "We took too long, Shay," he muttered breathlessly. "Too long getting him here, too long prepping him…I…God…I let go. I let up on the pressure and the alarms…"

Standing in front of the agitated man, Shay firmly grasped his biceps and pushed him into a chair. "Kelly!" she barked, stopping the rambling. "We did everything as quickly as we could. We got him to the ER within 15 minutes of him being shot. They got you prepped in under 10."

"They did?" he asked softly, confusion evident.

"Yeah, Kel," she confirmed, grabbing his hand. "I've only been out here for 15 or 20 minutes."

A wave of exhaustion seemed to roll over the Squad Lieutenant. "God, it felt like hours, Shay. Nothing moved fast enough and he kept getting paler…and then I let go…"

"Matt's going to be just fine," the paramedic soothed. "You couldn't have held on forever. At some point, you needed to let the doc fix trouble maker, right?"

"Yeah, but…what if he's not okay? What if the last thing he remembers is our fight over Heather? Our last interaction was him getting shot while shoving me out of the way? What then?" Severide asked, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"You can't live life worrying about what-ifs, Kelly. You know that," she gently scolded. "And Matt'll be fine. If this was any other rescue, you'd see that rationally. Through-and-through, nowhere near the heart, missed the lung… the only real danger is the blood loss. But you've got Big Brother blinders on…"

Kelly frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but Shay cut him off. "Yes, I know…it wasn't just any rescue. It was Matt," she admitted, squeezing his shoulder. "It's been a rough morning, huh?"

The man next to her bit out a shaky, humourless laugh. "You don't know the half of it, Shay. I…I hated Matt this morning. I was _so_ pissed."

His roommate nodded. "Is that what the territory dispute was about?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kelly nodded. "Yeah, I guess…"

"So what happened? Because all you could talk about the last couple of days was how worried you were about Matt after that ceiling came down."

"He _caught on fire_! And then my dad nailed him in the jaw. I had a right to be worried," Severide defended.

Shay lifted her hands in surrender. "So what happened?"

The Squad Lieutenant deflated a bit, the hurt from earlier returning. "Heather was there, in Matt's house. She'd spent the night with him."

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Like _with him_ with him?"

"Well Matt insisted she fell asleep on the couch but…I don't know. He looked uncomfortable and guilty of something," Severide recalled.

"Maybe Matt felt uncomfortable about her staying there?" Shay suggested. "Maybe she came onto him or something? Knowing Matt, he'd feel guilty about it, even if he did nothing."

"He said he was too tired to deal with it all so he let her stay on the couch," Kelly admitted softly. "He _has_ been looking rather rundown lately…"

"Casey's a damn puppy dog, Kel. He's loyal to a fault and can pout like no one's business. I don't think he'd do this to you."

Burying his face in his hands, Kelly groaned. "Ahh damn… so I spent this morning being an asshole instead of checking on Matt?"

"Well, it's not the first time one of you have blown up, Kel," Shay reassured him.

"Yeah, but I…I told him he put Andy through the window again," the lieutenant shakily admitted. "And Matt…he apologized to me, in the OR. For Andy, Heather…all of it."

"It's all going to be okay, Kel," Shay insisted. "Soon, we'll go back and see him and you two can hash it out, apologize, and hug, okay? Brothers fight from time to time."

Taking Shay's advice to heart, Kelly nodded and settled back into the plastic chair. Now it was a waiting game, one very familiar to him. As long as he ignored the crimson taint to his hands, he could pretend Matt had a broken rib, a minor concussion, or smoke inhalation; something simple and routine in their line of work. So instead of dwelling on Matt, he replayed his discussion with Shay over in his head. A few minutes later, he frowned.

"Wait a second!" he exclaimed, startling Shay. "What did you mean Heather probably came on to Matt?"

The blonde shrugged. "I was just saying… Matt is a young, attractive man. Heather is lonely and emotionally distraught. She probably tried to make a move on him."

Kelly's eyes narrowed. _What game was Heather playing at?_ "So she took advantage of him?"

"Slow down there, Kel," Shay placated, inwardly pleased that the Squad Lieutenant seemed to be in better spirits. "I'm _not_ suggesting we need to get Matt a rape kit or anything. Little Brother _is_ capable of holding his own."

"Fine…but why is Heather messing with Matt anyways? I mean…she won't even _talk_ to me," Severide continued.

Shay shrugged lightly. "I don't know. Maybe to get back at you, maybe she fell for the pout, hell, maybe Matt is more emotionally vulnerable? That's something you're going to have to work out with Matt."

 **Hey everybody! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! What did you think? What do you hope happens next? Should Sev confront Heather? Will the brothers hash it out? Coming up soon! Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody! I'm sorry for the delay. I was out of town for a bit and I didn't want to rush this chapter and not do it justice. So, without further ado, let's return to our dashing heroes!**

Running a hand over his hair, Kelly sighed and settled back in the chair. He needed something to do. Now that he wasn't able to be with Matt, his mind was running a million miles an hour. Usually, he'd go for a run or hit the boxing ring. But now? Now he couldn't afford to leave the plastic seat, afraid he'd miss some tidbit of information about Matt.

His roommate noticed his agitation and smiled softly before glancing at her watch. They'd been sitting for just about an hour. "Hey, Kel? I'm going to head to the cafeteria and grab some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," he muttered distractedly.

"Okay. Text me if you get called back to a room and I'll find you," she said, standing from the chair. She offered him a gentle shoulder squeeze before walking away.

Severide sighed once more before reaching a hand into his pocket for his phone. Pulling it out, he began scrolling through the contacts. He froze when he highlighted Heather's name. _What would I say to her? I don't even know what happened with her and Matt. Does it matter?_

"No…" he softly admitted. He'd defend Matt either way, especially if Heather was taking advantage of his brother. Matt was too nice sometimes.

Groaning, Kelly returned his phone to his pocket. One way or another, he'd find out what happened, and if Heather _had_ taken advantage of his little brother, he'd be making that phone call.

"Lieutenant Severide?" a voice startled from him out of his musing and he scrambled to his feet.

Seeing Dr. Branson standing near a set of double doors, Kelly hurried towards him. "Dr. Branson?" he asked, anxiously noting the scarlet splotches staining the scrubs the man wore.

Hearing the unspoken question, the doctor smiled lightly. "Lieutenant Casey pulled through. The shot ricocheted around his muscle tissue and nicked his scapula before exiting. The bulled also severed his subclavian vein, which is why the blood loss was so severe."

"But he's going to be okay?" Kelly confirmed.

"He will be, thanks to you. Severed veins aren't as fatal as arterial bleeds, but blood loss is a very real problem. He'll be in a sling for a few weeks but no lasting damage. He'll be off duty for a month at the most, supposing no complications arise," Branson reassured him.

Severide felt shaky as relief rushed over him. "Oh thank God…can I see him?"

"You can," Branson smiled. "He's not awake yet, but I'll show you to his room. It would probably be best for both of you if you were there when he does wake."

Kelly nodded, no longer trusting his voice as relief washed over him. Quickly following the doctor, he soon found himself entering an elevator. Waiting for the doors to close, he watched Branson select the third floor.

Noticing the inquisitive glance, Branson explained. "We've moved Lieutenant Casey up to the third floor to give him a private recovery room. He shouldn't have to stay here too long, but we take care of Chicago's heroes."

Nodding quickly, Severide pulled out his phone. "What room number? I have to text Shay."

"313," the doctor informed.

Kelly sent the message just as the metal doors slid open. Returning the phone to his pocket, the lieutenant followed Branson to Matt's room, memorizing the route from the elevator. Finally arriving at the aforementioned 313, Branson entered, looking over Matt's chart. Kelly braced himself before popping his head in.

"Ah damn Matty," he muttered under his breath, entering the room.

Casey was lying, still unconscious, in the hospital bed, a myriad of wires and tubes hooked up to him. A nasal cannula sat beneath his nose, providing oxygen, sensors attached to his chest provided a heartbeat reading, and a pulse/ox monitor was clipped to his pointer finger. His right arm was encased in a sling and his left had an IV catheter.

Branson leaned over and undid the top of the hospital gown, pulling it down to unveil the wound. "As you can see, the entry wound has been nicely stitched up. It's bandaged and protected with gauze for now."

Kelly cleared his throat before agreeing. "Yeah, it looks a lot better. What about the nicked scapula?"

"It's minor," the doctor assured him. "It'll be sore for a little while, but no further surgery is required."

As Branson began to retie the hospital gown, Severide spotted the St. Florian's medal, still wrapped in cloth. Carefully, he moved to unwrap it, settling the pendant gently on the Truck Lieutenant's chest. Then, he perched himself on the edge of the chair nearest the bed.

The doctor smiled softly at the gesture. "Your brother should regain consciousness soon. Call for a nurse or have someone page me if you have any questions or problems."

Kelly briefly acknowledged the surgeon leaving the room, focusing solely on the blonde in front of him. Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands. "Damn…C'mon bud, wake up," he pleaded. "I can't make this better until you wake up."

Severide remained in that position for a few minutes, the day's adrenaline officially vanishing. His emotions were all over the map at that moment. He was worried about Matt, hurt by Heather's actions, angry at himself, protective of Matt, and eager to get to the bottom of the entire situation.

"Kel?" Shay spoke softly, knocking on the door. Severide looked up as she entered, accepting the coffee cup she offered. "I saw Dr. Branson on my way up. Matt looks really good, huh?"

Her roommate offered a brief snort. "Yeah, he looks wonderful."

Sitting next to him, Shay lightly smacked his shoulder. "All things considered, Casey looks great. Much better than the last time _I_ saw him."

A brief glimpse of the alarms blaring in the OR flashed through Kelly's mind. Shaking his head, he ran a hand over his hair. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry Shay, I'm just…"

"On edge?" the paramedic supplied.

"Yeah," he sighed, mindlessly reaching for Matt's hand. "This whole situation is really bugging me."

"Matt getting shot?"

"Well yeah, but the whole Heather incident too. I meant, I don't want her to come between us, and Matt and I are still trying to work everything out between us."

"I don't think she will," Shay reassured him. "Not if you don't let her."

"What do you mean?" Kelly frowned.

"Don't give me that look. If you decide to get fed up and return to your own corner to pout and lick your wounds or jump to the wrong conclusions instead of just confronting the problem and talking to one another, you will let Heather win. And you will lose Matt."

Severide nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess we have a tendency to argue and then avoid each other, huh?"

"More so now than before…Andy used to force you two to interact. I guess that's my job now," the blonde quipped.

"She's stubborn 'nough…" a voice croaked.

Kelly whipped around to see Casey wearily blinking his eyes. "Matt!"

The Squad Lieutenant moved back to the edge of his chair, leaning towards the bed. The hand in his grasp finally squeezed his in return.

"How are we feeling, Sleeping Beauty?" Shay asked, sensing Kelly's distraction

Casey cleared his throat. "Like I've been skewered..."

"Yeah, well getting shot will do that to you," the paramedic smiled. "But you're going to be just fine, right Kel?"

Kelly was stuck staring at his friend, so relieved he hadn't lost Matt for good. Shay gently bumped his shoulder, startling him out of his daze.

"Oh, yeah," he recovered. "The doc said you'd be out for a month at most."

Sensing the slight tension, Shay stood up, offering Matt a sip of water. After the injured fireman was finished drinking, Shay spoke up. "Well, on that note, I'm off to run some errands. I'll tell Dr. Branson that Matt is up and then I'll stop by the House to update everybody. I'll also grab you both some clothes and see about smuggling in some decent food, okay?"

Sending Severide a poignant look, Shay headed towards the elevator. After the blonde left, the two lieutenants sat in an awkward silence. Realizing he was still Matt's hand, Kelly released it, returning to his chair.

"Sev…" Matt started. "Look, I…"

But Kelly shook his head before standing to pace. Running a hand over his face, he stopped abruptly, bracing against the foot of the bed. "Ah damn it…look, Matt… I'm sorry, okay? I'm _so_ sorry. I should've just listened and trusted you but I guess I was hurt that Heather blames me and that you took her side and…And _then_ you got yourself shot like a damn _moron_. I mean, _what the hell_ , Matt? You _caught on fire_ a few days ago. Was that not enough? And this time, it wasn't one of your 'noble causes' like an infant or a damsel you were trying to save. No, _this time_ you decided to get hurt trying to save _me_! Well next time? Next time, I get to get shot and fall unconscious, okay? Next time, _you_ get to camp out in the chairs from hell while Shay plays Dr. Phil. Because I can't…I can't handle the fact that I almost lost you after all of this fighting."

When he'd finished his rant, Kelly was breathing heavily, his hands in a white knuckle grip of the bedrail. Matt was sitting up more, an eyebrow raised. What had begun as a stuttering apology had quickly spiraled into a concerned ramble. This was much more like the protective, older brother behavior he was used to from Kelly.

"Are you done now?" Casey quipped.

A bit sheepishly, Severide nodded, returning to the chair. "It was supposed to be an apology but I got a little sidetracked."

"Obviously, we have some things to talk about," Matt started, glancing around. "And since I'm obviously not going anywhere anytime soon…I guess now's as good a time as any. So where shall we start?"

"I guess at what started this…rift," Kelly offered softly. "When we lost Andy."

Sighing, Matt nodded. "I don't blame you, Kel. I know I've said I do, but I didn't mean it. Andy…it was an accident. He didn't listen."

Scrubbing a hand over his face, the other man nodded. "Yeah, I… deep down I knew you didn't. I just forget that sometimes. I don't blame you either, Matty… I hope you know that. Sometimes, my mouth just acts on its own and I know I've got to work on it. But I also know that I knew Andy longer than you, and that means that I know that nothing you could've done would have stopped the stubborn son of a bitch. Like you said, it was a horrible, tragic accident."

Offering a small smile, Casey replied. "It means a lot to hear you say that, Kel. I'm sorry that we weren't there for each other more."

"Yeah," Severide agreed. "But we can be there now. And I can start trusting your word more, like I should've this morning. If you say nothing happened, then nothing happened. Heather stayed on the couch."

Matt nodded in agreement, running his left hand through his hair and biting back a grimace. Kelly frowned but said nothing. "I'm not picking sides, Sev. And if I was, I'd be on yours. I mean Heather is a friend, and Andy's widow, but you're…well we're brothers, right?"

"Damn straight," Kelly smiled, ruffling Matt's hair. "That's why I hated that savior stunt this morning."

"I saw the flash and just reacted," Matt defended. "I didn't want to see you get shot."

"Yeah, I know, and I appreciate it. You saved my life."

"Well, you returned the favor," Casey retorted. "You didn't let me bleed out."

Kelly rolled his eyes, snickering. "Right, because letting you die was really an option. Nuh uh, Troublemaker, you had to live to be able to fix this rift. And to return my necklace."

At this, Casey's hand shot to his neck, staring at Severide in disbelief when he feels the familiar pendant. "I…I thought I was hallucinating. You never take this off."

The Squad Lieutenant offers a small smile. "Yeah, well my little brother needed it more at that moment."

Matt's blue eyes swirl with sudden emotions, exhaustion tinging the orbs. "Kel…look, we need to talk more about Heather."

Allowing his concern to temporarily override the curiosity, Severide shakes his head. Not right now. You need to get some more rest, okay, bud? I'll still be here when you wake up. We can talk more then. I'll still be here, Matty."

Quietly watching over Matt as he drifted off to sleep, Kelly couldn't help but smile. Things with Matt weren't perfect, but they were far better than they had been. Casey was his family, just as much as Shay was, and for the first time in a while, Severide felt at peace with his little brother. The Heather situation still nagged at him, and it was obviously still bothering Matt. But for the moment, Kelly was content to focus on the fact that his best friend was alive and recovering. Settling against the plastic seat, he allowed himself to doze.

 **Well, Matt's alive! And he and Kelly are beginning to heal! So what's UP next? Matt spills on the Heather situation? Kelly confronts Heather? Shay takes blackmail photos? Review and give me your feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody! What did you guys think of the last chapter? I really appreciate all of the favorites and followings I'm getting, but I would LOVE to see some more reviews and hear what you guys think! I'm so so sorry I didn't get it updated on time, but to make up for it, I'm posting this one early!**

Casey woke up slowly, blinking against the sunset streaming through the blinds. He stifled a groan as he accidentally shifted his injured shoulder. Feeling a weight against his left hand, he turned, raising an eyebrow.

Kelly was sound asleep, arms crossed on top of Matt's hand. His head was pillowed in his arms, turned away from Matt. Somehow, the chair had been dragged closer to the bed, the squad lieutenant's lower half vaguely resembling a pretzel. A small 'click' sounded from the doorway, making Matt turn.

Shay stood in the doorway, smirking as she slid the phone back in her pocket. Waving to Matt, she deposited a duffle bag in the chair nearest the slumbering Severide before moving to perch on the opposite side of Matt's bed.

"Hey Matt," she whispered, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Shay," he greeted softly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, but _I'm_ supposed to be asking _you_ that," she lightly reprimanded. "How's the pain level?"

"Fine," Matt quipped automatically, earning a glare. "Okay, it hurts, but I can handle it."

"Men," Shay huffed, rolling her eyes. "Did you two work things out?"

"Mostly," Casey nodded.

"Oh good. I'd hate to have to ground you both."

Matt snickered. "Aw but mom, Kelly and I were good boys. We even took our naps!"

"I can see that," The paramedic laughed softly, noticing the tenseness the truck lieutenant still retained. "So what didn't you cover? Why are you still upset?"

The blonde man sighed. "We need to talk more about Heather. But I'm not sure how Kelly will take it."

Shay's eyes softened. "Well I'll tell you what. Let's wake Kel up and get you checked by Dr. Branson. Then, if the Doc approves, we'll get you both into more comfortable clothes and eat my smuggled food while you guys talk. I'll play referee during the discussion, okay? I won't let either one of you go too far."

"Thanks Shay," Matt smiled gratefully. "So, should we wake Kelly?"

The paramedic smirked, retrieving her phone. She touched the screen a few times before angling the phone towards Severide's sleeping face. A sudden, loud roar of a vacuum cleaner filled the room. Kelly jerked up frantically, falling out of the chair.

"Damnit, Shay! Not again…everything's clean, I promise!" he swore, still disoriented from sleep. He ended up awkwardly sprawled on the floor next to his chair.

Matt burst out laughing at the sight of his fellow fireman spastically flailing at the sound of a vacuum cleaner. Hearing the laughter and gaining a better grip on his surroundings, Kelly groaned, rubbing his face. Shay laughed softly before nudging Kelly with her foot.

"Up you come, sleepyhead," she smirked.

Climbing back into his chair, Severide scowled playfully. "Gee, thanks, Shay. You could have just shaken me or something. You didn't have to try to induce a heart attack."

"Meh, you're in a hospital," she countered. "Besides, this way, Casey got to laugh."

Rolling his eyes at his roommate's flippant behavior, Kelly turned to address Matt. "How're you feeling? Did you sleep okay?"

Casey nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Shay said she'd find the doctor so I could get checked out."

The paramedic nodded and set off to find the physician. Kelly, meanwhile, scrutinized his fellow fireman. His face still held tension, as well as signs of exhaustion. The blue eyes were glazed over with pain.

"You're in a lot of pain, huh?" the squad lieutenant observed softly. Casey opened his mouth to disagree, earning a glare from Severide. "Don't you dare lie to me, Matthew..."

The blonde grimaced, nodding lightly instead. "It wasn't this bad, earlier."

Reaching a hand out, Severide squeezed his forearm supportively. "Pain meds must be wearing off. Don't worry, we'll get Dr. Branson to give you more."

Matt shook his head. "I'll be okay…"

"Damnit Matt, you're not the Little Engine that could," Kelly insisted. "If you're in pain, we'll get you some meds, okay? Do you understand me?"

Matt smirked briefly. "I think I can…I think I can…"

"Smartass," Kelly grumbled good-naturedly.

"Oh good! They haven't killed each other yet," Shay joked, reentering the room. Dr. Branson followed behind her, eyebrows raised. "Thanks for playing nicely, boys. I've returned with the doc."

"Ah, Lieutenant Casey," Branson greeted. "We're very pleased that you've joined the land of the living. How are you feeling?"

"I'm pretty good, all things considered," Matt responded, ignoring Kelly's glare.

"Well that's a noble response, but I'm sure you're probably much more uncomfortable than you're saying," Branson countered. "The bullet tore through various parts of your musculature, nicked your scapula, and severed your subclavian artery. That's not something a band aid will fix, and, by my calculations, you're ready for your next round of pain meds. Are we interested?"

Matt nodded sheepishly. "I'd appreciate that."

The doctor smiled. "Excellent. I'll send a nurse in with the next dosage then. Your friend Shay here tells me that you'd like to get into some sweat pants and eat something other than the gourmet hospital food we offer. I don't have a problem with any of that. The monitors on the upper half of your body need to stay attached but I'll send a nurse to remove the catheter. Don't eat too much and nothing too rough on your stomach. I'll come back to check on you in a few hours."

After thanking the doctor, Kelly went to the bathroom to change into the clothes Shay had brought for him. Shay, meanwhile, perched on the edge of Matt's bed, waiting for the nurse to bring the meds and remove the catheter. Minutes later, a woman entered, carrying a cup with two oblong pills. Setting them on the bedside table, the nurse moved to pull the covers back.

"Shay," Matt muttered, blushing.

"What?" she responded calmly.

"Can you leave the room or stand in the corner or something? I mean she's…" the fireman trailed off, gesturing as he continued to turn crimson.

"Unhooking the catheter hooked to your junk?" Shay supplied. "You've got nothing to worry about, Matt…I'm not interested in looking. Besides, it's not my first catheter."

"Yeah…but…Shay!" he sputtered as the nurse continued, unfazed by the bickering.

Sighing, the paramedic stood from the bed and turned to the corner. She dramatically covered her eyes. "Fiiiiine. There you go Matt. I'll keep your innocence intact."

The truck lieutenant sighed, trying to contain his blushing as the nurse removed that catheter. "Alright then, sir. Would you like me to help you into some clothes? The doctor said you could change into underwear and sweatpants if you wanted to."

Shay burst out laughing as Kelly reemerged from the bathroom, just in time to see Matt turn an even deeper scarlet. Seeing his friend's predicament, the other lieutenant spoke up. "I'll help him get dressed, ma'am. But thanks anyways."

Casey let his head fall back on the pillow, sighing in relief. Shay continued to cackle from the corner as Kelly dug through the duffel for Matt's clothes. Smiling, he turned to approach the bed, sweats and boxers in hand. "Would you like me to help you into some clothes?" he mimicked.

"Shut up…" Matt groaned.

"Tssk tssk Matty…don't be rude or I'll ask your friend to come back!" Kelly playfully warned.

"Fine, yes, Kelly, I'd like help. Let's just get this over with," the blonde conceded, still blushing slightly.

"Never would have pegged you for a quickie-type of guy, Casey," Shay quipped from the corner, still covering her eyes.

Severide snickered as he helped Matt shakily stand at the side of the bed. After making sure his surrogate brother was steady enough, Kelly helped him step each foot into the underwear and sweats before pulling them up to his waist. "Easy does it, bud," he coaxed as he helped the fireman back into the hospital bed.

"Thanks," Casey managed, wincing. Taking the cup of water and meds Kelly offered him, he tossed the pills back.

"Can I please look now?" Shay moaned.

"Yeah, you're good," Severide laughed, peeling her hand off of her face. "Where's the food?"

The paramedic rolled her eyes before reaching for the untouched backpack near her. "I see how it is; all I'm good for is supplying things!"

Kelly was about to respond when he noticed the sandwiches being pulled out of the backpack. Shay handed the squad lieutenant a foot long before handing Matt a six inch. She then took one out for herself before reaching into the bag and grabbing out a bag of chips and two sodas. Kelly grabbed one of the drinks before biting into his sub. "Thanks, Shay!"

Matt nodded his gratitude as he too began to eat his meal. Shay smiled and grabbed some chips before passing the bag along. "Sorry about the small size, Matt, but I thought it'd be safer to start small. I'll bring more food tomorrow," she offered.

Casey just smiled softly. "That's okay, thanks for the smuggled food, Shay."

The paramedic relaxed into the plastic chair. "Alright then, everybody's thankful for me and my glorious food. Now, why don't you two continue your discussion? I'm upset I had to miss the first half."

Nervously swallowing the bite of sub, the truck lieutenant nodded, eyeing the other lieutenant. Severide appeared intrigued, but his eyes still held concern as they noted the anxiety in Matt's face. Taking a deep breath, Matt began. "Well, I guess we need to talk more about Heather. Where should we start?"

Kelly narrowed his eyes, carefully looking over his surrogate brother. _Something's still bothering him…_ "Why don't you tell me what's been happening? Tell me your side and I'll listen carefully this time. If I still have questions at the end, I'll ask."

"That sounds good," Shay encouraged lightly.

Matt took a deep breath before beginning. "Heather…Heather and I really are just friends. At least that's what I see us as. I took her to the academy dinner, like a week or so ago, right? Well I just, I thought it would be nice, you know? She's used to going with Andy, and this way, she could see everybody and maybe enjoy herself. So I thought it would be a good idea. But then later, I was driving her home in my truck and she…she starts talking about how nice I've been to her and how sweet I am and then…then she kissed me! And I, I didn't really stop her…I think I even kissed her back for a second. But I didn't mean to! I mean, I'd never do that to you or Andy!"

At this point, Kelly's frown increased tenfold and Shay placed a restraining hand on his forearm. Casey didn't seem to notice the tension as he rambled on. "She just…Heather just kissed me and then that was it, I pulled back and she got out of the truck. And I stupidly thought that that would be the end of it. I thought it was an honest mistake; it was an emotional day, just move on. But then she offered to cook me some dinner and I couldn't refuse. I was tired and sore. But then she came over without the boys and things got weird. I mean, she was cooking lasagna and then she starts talking about how we both deserve to be happy, that there's no reason not to be happy with each other. And she tried to kiss me again, and I stopped her this time. I was just…it was such a long day, Sev. The ceiling and your dad and then, it just all happened so quickly. I told her we couldn't, that it wasn't fair to Andy, that we should just be friends, and then I offered her the couch…I was too tired to keep arguing with her. And I didn't want it; I didn't want to steal Andy's widow. I was trying to explain that to her when you stopped by this morning."

Rubbing a hand over his face, Severide growled softly before turning to look at Matt. The other man's blue eyes were defensive but there was also a lingering uncertainty. _Uncertainty in how I'll respond_ , Kelly realized. "Matt…look, I'm not mad at you, okay? I mean I was…but I know it's Heather who's doing this."

Shaking his head, Casey closed his eyes. "But she came on to me, Kel…and I kissed her back."

"It's a reaction, Matt," he argued, feeling his annoyance and frustration at Heather grow. "And you said it yourself. She came on to _you_. You were just trying to be a good friend and to help her with Andy… I should've realized it wasn't you. I mean…I don't know what her game is, but I'll figure it out. It's between her and me now, okay? You and I are good…as long as you forgive me for not believing you."

Cautiously opening his eyes, Casey blinked up at Kelly. "Of course I forgive you, Kel…I know how it must have looked. But that's it? No threats to beat my ass on behalf of Andy? No guilt trips for letting Heather come between us?"

Shaking his head, Kelly reached out to gently squeeze the man's uninjured shoulder. "No, no more of that, bud. From now on, it'll be you and me, okay?"

Having stayed quiet as the boys worked out their problems, Shay cleared her throat from the corner. "Just you two, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Severide turned to grin at her. "And Shay, of course. We can be like the three musketeers or something."

Matt felt the tension and anxiety he'd been feeling slowly drain away, leaving behind a heavy drowsiness. His friend quickly noted the exhaustion and offered a sympathetic smile. "Get some sleep, Matty…there's no need to worry about this mess anymore. Everything's taken care of."

Shay moved to dim the lights as Kelly cleaned up the trash from their dinner. Matt slowly drifted off to sleep, content to give in to his dreariness now that Kelly was on his side once more. Severide, meanwhile, waited for Casey's eyes to slip closed as his breathing evened out. Then he pulled on a jacket Shay had brought, slipping his phone into the pocket. Ignoring Shay's questioning glance, Kelly snagged the car keys and headed for the hallway, stopping only when his roommate tugged his arm. They exchanged glances before Kelly nodded towards the truck lieutenant. Shay caught his meaning and dragged him into the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded sharply, not really needing an answer.

"I'm going to get some answers," he answered vaguely.

"Oh really? And what if Matt needs you?"

"Matt'll sleep for a few hours at least at this point, especially without his guilty conscience messing with him," Severide argued knowingly. "And you'll be here. Look, I've been confined all day without being able to do anything. Now that I know, and now that Matt's safe…I've got to do something, Shay."

The blonde sighed. "Fine, but no more than two hours, okay? And don't do anything you'll regret, Kelly!"

The lieutenant just nodded before walking briskly towards the elevator. Now that he knew what all had occurred between Heather and the man he considered a brother, he was determined to confront the woman. And Kelly Severide wasn't going to be ignored, not when he needed answers.

 **So what did we think? What's gonna happen next? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everybody! I'm willing to hear suggestions or requests for future stories as I explore and play with my muse! I've really appreciated all of the support and interest my stories have been receiving!**

The minute he exited the hospital, Severide realized he could finally breathe easier. The sterile hospital atmosphere had been almost suffocating. That, combined with his anxiety for Matt, had nearly driven him crazy in the small hospital room. _But now he was fine,_ he reminded himself. _Matt was fine and he had a job to do, and not a lot of time to do it._

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kelly began looking for his car. After a few minutes of searching the parking deck, he found it and set off towards his destination. It was time to get some answers.

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Leslie Shay sighed softly as she claimed the chair nearest Matt's bed. She knew exactly where Kelly was going; she'd known the second Matt had confessed to the kiss. Unfortunately, she also knew that there would be no stopping Kelly when he got this focused. She supposed she should be proud of her roommate for taking her advice and hearing Matt out without losing his temper. But there would undoubtedly be fireworks when he confronted Heather. Frowning, Shay glanced over at Matt's sleeping form.

Had Kelly not asked her to watch over the blonde, Shay would have insisted on accompanying her fiery-tempered roommate. Hell, had Casey been awake, _he_ probably would have insisted she had too. But she'd let him go and now all she could do was wait, and hope he didn't do anything _too_ stupid.

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The drive to the Darden's house from the hospital was hauntingly familiar to Severide. He drove on autopilot, his mind whirring with various memories. Helping each other home after an injury on the job, following behind Andy's car with flashers on as they escorted Ben and Griffin home for the first time, the memories continued on and on. Some were fond and brought a brief smile to his face; others reminded Kelly of the anxiety he'd felt just hours before. But as he pulled into the familiar driveway, nothing could distract him from his frustration and anger. Taking a deep breath, he parked the car and headed for the front door, bounding up the front steps.

After knocking on the door, he heard pounding footsteps from within and smiled in spite of himself. Muffled voices reached his ears as he spotted a small head peeking through the window.

"Uncle Kelly!" Ben cheered, flinging the door open.

"Hey kiddo!" Kelly greeted, opening his arms just in time for the boy to leap into them. "How are you?"

"I'm great! I'm learning about bugs in school," the Ben continued, oblivious to his uncle's frustration.

"Really?" Kelly smiled. "I bet your mom just loves that…"

Still carrying the boy, Severide let himself into the house and closed the door behind him. Just as he did so, Heather came around the corner, already frowning.

"Benjamin! How many times have I told you not to answer the door?" she scolded harshly.

"But it was Uncle Kelly," her son argued. "Dad always said Uncle Kelly and Uncle Matt were okay to open the door for."

"I don't care who it is! _I_ say that you don't open the door, unless I'm right here with you, okay?" Heather continued, seemingly content to leave Kelly unacknowledged.

"Yes ma'am," Ben sighed, before turning to his uncle. "Where's Uncle Matt, Uncle Kelly? Were you guys at the firehouse today?"

Kelly winced slightly, catching Heather's attention. "Yeah we were there today, bud. Uncle Matt is getting some sleep right now, he got a little banged up, but don't worry! He's just fine."

"Speaking of sleep, that's where you should be headed, mister," Heather interrupted. "Off you go, tell Uncle Kelly goodnight and tell your brother he needs to read until I come check on him."

Severide gave the boy a hug before setting him on the ground, smiling as he trotted off to do as his mother asked. Andy would be proud of the young man his sons were becoming. Turning back to Heather he was reminded of his reason for coming. Opening his mouth, Kelly frowned when she shook her head and grabbed his arm, dragging him into the kitchen. Once there, she began washing the dishes in the sink, leaving the fireman to lean against the opposite counter.

"Out with it, Kelly," she bit out suddenly. "What did you and Matt get into this time?"

"Like I said, he just got a little banged up on the job, he'll be fine…"Severide explained, thrown off by both Ben and Heather's sudden interest in his day. He'd intended to confront her about Matt but he found himself forgetting some of his anger at her concern; it was so similar to when Andy would drag the two of them home after a rough shift, only to receive pampering and food from Heather.

"Bullshit," she retorted, turning to face him. "If you were getting off of shift you'd be sweaty, smell like smoke, and have soot or dirt smudges on your face, so you either weren't on call, or something else happened. And after this morning's drama, I'm pretty sure you and Matt were both on call today. Besides, it's barely 8 o'clock, that's only 12 hours of shift."

"What if I showered before coming here?" he argued, not even sure why he was bothering to defend himself. "Or Boden let us off early?"

"If you'd showered after shift, you wouldn't still be wearing the pants and boots you wear on call," she continued, unfazed. "You've never done that, in all the years I've known you. And you told Ben Matt was sleeping, at 8 o'clock. So something must've happened during shift that 'banged Matt up' and resulted in you needing to change and getting relieved of today's duty. I'm not Ben, Kelly, so don't sugarcoat it for me. What the hell happened?"

Groaning, Kelly ran a hand over his face. He hadn't anticipated having to relive that morning's nightmare so soon. _Well of course she's gonna care about what happened to Matt_ , he mentally ranted to himself. "The House got shot up this morning," he began, moving to stare out the window. "Gunshots peppered the loading bay and Matt, well Matt knocked me out of the way and got shot. He took a shot to the upper right chest/shoulder but made it through surgery fine. He's in a sling but awake and already making jokes so…there you go."

Heather was silent for a minute, prompting Severide to turn from the window to look at her. She was gripping a dish towel, twisting it in her hands, looking somewhat close to breaking into sobs. "Why did you have to change, Kelly?" she asked, dangerously calm.

"What?" he asked, caught off guard. He'd just told her that Matt, the man she'd been coming on to for weeks, had been _shot_ and she cared about his apparent change of clothes?

"Why did you have to change your shirt, Kelly?" she repeated, biting out the demand harshly. "You don't appear to have been shot, so why the hell did _you_ have to change?"

"Because…because I…there was blood and I used my shirt and…" Severide trailed off, momentarily flashing back to the crimson slipping through his hands, watching Matt grow paler and paler. "I used my shirt to stop the bleeding," he finally managed.

Heather appeared sympathetic for a moment before her eyes hardened. "So is that why you came here? To tell me that Matt got _shot_? That he spent this morning _bleeding_ all over you? Is that what you've become Kelly Severide? A physical representation of bad news that just shows up on my doorstep whenever you feel like it?!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Kelly demanded. "That's not at all what I came here for!"

"Oh? So you weren't going to tell me about Matt," she raged. "Fine, I see how it is Severide."

"No, I wasn't, I mean I would've told you about Matt, but that's not what I came for," he continued, growing more and more frustrated. "I came here to talk to you about this morning, and about your intentions towards Matt."

"My intentions?" Heather repeated coldly. "Intentions? What the hell, Kelly? What is this? You're playing chaperone or something? Matt's a grown man and he can do whatever the hell he wants! _You_ have no say over what we do!"

"I'm not a chaperone," he protested, feeling a bit like a cornered animal. "But Matt's my brother, and I'm going to look out for him, no matter what you say. And I don't think what you're doing is a good idea, Heather! What sort of game are you trying to play here, Heather? Is this real for you, or is this some attempt to feel again after Andy, or what? Because Matt doesn't mess around, okay? Matt feels and if you hurt him…"

"What? What'll you do, Kelly? Huh?" she demanded angrily. "Forbid me from seeing him? Lower his curfew? What?"

"He's my brother, Heather," Kelly repeated firmly.

"Yeah, like that's a great position for him to be in!" the woman exclaimed, beyond reasoning. "All of your 'brothers' end up in mortal peril!"

"What? What are you saying?" the fireman said, much softer than his previous outbursts.

"Andy was your brother too! And look what that got him!"

"Andy…" Kelly felt like he'd been physically slapped. "Andy was a horrible tragedy, but he died doing what he loved."

"No, Kelly. He died doing what YOU loved!" Heather fumed. "YOU always wanted to be a fireman and Andy followed YOU. It's because of YOU that my husband died in a fiery inferno! It's because of YOU that my sons don't have a father to look up to as they grow older! So excuse me if Matt being your 'brother' is a comfort because it looks to me like it almost got him killed, just like Andy!"

"You're wrong," Severide managed, feeling a tsunami of emotions threatening to overwhelm him at any minute. "I'm sorry you think I'm the reason Andy died, and I'm sure you'll continue to pursue Matt. But know this Heather: I won't lose Matt, not again."

With that, the emotional fireman left the once friendly house, feeling more drained and distraught than he had the energy to deal with. Climbing into the car he drove off, unconsciously choosing his new destination. His eyes watered in a frustrating manner, making him scrub angrily at his eyes. While Kelly hadn't truly expected the conversation with Heather to go smoothly, he had never anticipated the response he got.

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Inwardly groaning at the discomfort she felt in her back, Shay shifted, trying to will the plastic chair to become more inviting. Needless to say, it was unsuccessful, and did very little to aid her muscle aches. A soft snicker drew her attention to the bed. Whipping her head around, she noticed bleary blue eyes staring at her.

"What's so funny?"

"You're getting sore, huh?" Casey commented.

"A bit," Shay admitted. "These sad excuses for seating arrangements are making a lot of money for chiropractors!"

The man snickered again. "Yeah, Sev called them the chairs from hell!"

Shay smiled lightly, but frowned when Matt mentioned Kelly. He'd been gone for longer than they agreed upon, and she was starting to get worried. Matt noticed the distraction, but ignored it temporarily.

Instead, he slowly worked to scoot farther to one side of his hospital bed. Patting the now empty space next to him, he inclined his head. "C'mon, Shay…come join me on the bed. It's a lot more comfortable than the chairs," he offered.

"I don't know, Matt," she hesitated.

"Oh, come on," he insisted. "You're not going to hurt me, and I'll even let you use the little clicker to raise and lower the bed."

"Well now you make it an offer I can't refuse!" she grinned, gently clambering up onto the bed.

Sitting shoulder to shoulder with the other blonde, Shay felt her anxiety start to grow. Kelly should be there; he should've been back by now. Her roommate should have been in one of the other seats, bantering about who got to share the bed with Matt. The third part of their newly developing trio was missing and Shay didn't know what to do.

"Kelly went to see Heather, didn't he?" Matt asked after a few minutes. Shay nodded, not knowing how to elaborate. "You're worried because he isn't back yet, huh?"

"I'm a little concerned," she admitted, once again impressed by the truck lieutenant's observation skills.

"I'm sure Kel will be back soon," he soothed, and the each fell into a comfortable silence, each praying their anxiety was misplaced.

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Across town, the man in question was unaware of his friends' worry and concern. Sliding his car into the vacant lot, the Squad Lieutenant slowly stumbled towards the granite stone that marked the final resting place of his fallen brother. Seeing the name engraved on the tombstone, Kelly sank to his knees, finally allowing the emotions of the day to take over. There, in the protective watch of his fellow fireman, Kelly Severide cried for his brothers, one lost and the other barely saved.

 **Well? What do you think readers? Leave me reviews with your thoughts and any requests you may have!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everybody! I'm so excited to see so many people interested in my writing! I'm really glad that everybody is appreciating the Sevasey angst as much as I enjoy writing it! Here's the next installment of Shots Fired! I'm not sure it'll be too much longer, but I'm highly interested in hearing your opinions!**

Casey shifted slightly in his hospital bed, grimacing when his injured shoulder was jostled. The blonde next to him lightly smacked his leg.

"Bad Matt," Shay scolded. "No hurting yourself before big brother returns to mother hen you!"

Matt smiled lightly before frowning. "How long has Kel been gone, Shay?"

"Kel?" Shay shook her head minutely. "He's…he's been gone just about the amount of time I expected him to be, so not too long."

The lieutenant's brow furrowed as he nudged his bedmate's shoulder lightly. "Liar. You're worried about Kelly, which means he's been gone longer than you expected him to be. I mean really, Shay…you're watching reruns of Dr. Phil way too intently to be perfectly calm at this moment."

"I like Dr. Phil, _Matthew._ It helps me come up with clever advice to give you and Kelly during your near death experiences." Shay seemed to consider lying to the injured man again before sighing, realizing that Matt would never truly believe she wasn't concerned. "But yeah, I told him to only be two hours when he left. He agreed wholeheartedly, saying he'd be back. I thought you being stuck in here would be like a fricking Severide beacon, you know? I mean he never leaves when you need him, even when you don't think you do."

Matt sighed, concern mounting for his surrogate brother. It'd been nearly an hour since he'd woken up to find the room being void of Kelly. "So he's been gone over three hours, huh?" seeing the paramedic nod, Matt scrubbed a hand over his face. "Alright, well let's think for a second. Kel went to confront Heather, right?"

"Yep," she confirmed, randomly clicking through TV channels. "Said he needed to _talk_ to her about some things."

"Great…well the good thing is that she has the boys at home tonight," the truck lieutenant remembered, his worry for Severide continuing to mount. Shay shot him a confused look. "Oh, well I mean at least we don't have to worry about her trying to actually kill him."

"Oh," Shay shrugged, settling on a vacuum advertisement. "Well that's at least slightly positive."

"Yeah, but I also don't think he's been chatting for almost three hours…" Matt conceded. "Have you tried calling him?"

At this, Shay rolled her eyes. "What? Geez why didn't _I_ think of that? I could just _call_ the man I've been worrying about for hours!"

"Okay, okay…" Casey held his one hand up defensively. "Stupid question, I get it."

"He hasn't answered any calls or texts," Leslie admitted, noting the stress beginning to build in the fireman. "But I'm sure it's nothing, Matt…maybe he lost his phone or something?"

The paramedic watched carefully as the injured man seemed to sit up straighter, despite the obvious exhaustion and pain he was still fighting off. Holding out his good hand, Casey gestured towards the phone. "Can I borrow it for a second?"

"Matt…is this a good idea? I mean I'm sure Kelly will be back soon, and you really need to keep your heart rate down. You've had a very eventful day," Shay argued lightly. "Besides, I've already tried Kelly, I told you."

"I'm not calling Kel," he countered, reaching for the phone anyway. "I'm going to find out just what Heather said to him, and how long ago he left the house."

There were few times that Shay could actually remember Casey taking on the protective role in the brotherly relationship he and Severide shared; but he was no less capable, she decided, and just as fierce. Seeing the blue eyes harden with newfound determination, she handed the phone over easily.

Heather Darden couldn't sleep. She'd tried ample times in the few hours since Severide had left. She'd even indulged in a bottle of wine to try and help herself settle down and relax, but it was no use. Ever since Andy had died, Heather felt herself fluctuating between her mind whirling at a million miles an hour and it being totally empty and numb. She knew that she missed her husband and loved her sons. She knew that she appreciated Matt's constant efforts to help, and the attention he gave her. She also knew that she blamed Kelly because it was easier, easier than facing the reality; the reality that her husband had elected to storm into deadly situations, day after day. The reality that Andy had died, leaving behind two boys and a wife, while his 'brothers' lived to tell the tale, returning home to their solitary lifestyles and beer.

"And then Kelly frickin' Severide darkens my door with more bad news," she scoffs angrily, pouring herself more wine. "You might as well go celibate, Heather. Because it won't be long before the whole frickin' house 51 goes up in smoke."

Before she could get any further in her rants, a shrill ring cut through her quiet kitchen. Seeing an unknown number on the screen, she answered it cautiously. "Hello?"

" _Hi, Heather."_

"Matt?!" she sat straighter immediately. "Are you alright?"

" _Yeah, I'm…I mean, Heather where's Kelly?"_

"What? I have no idea, I mean…didn't you get shot? Are you alright? Severide said you had to have surgery and…"

" _Yeah I was shot, I'm fine. I need to know where Kelly is! When did you last see him?"_

Heather felt anger beginning to build once again. Matt was brushing her off so effortlessly, it was painful. What had happened to their borderline romance? "Look Matt, I don't know. He was here around 8? He didn't stay long, I assure you that. The bastard left in a huff a few minutes into the argument. He had the audacity to warn me against dating you…said you were his _brother_ and I had no business hurting you. But honestly? Seems like Kelly Severide brings enough hurt to his _brothers_ on his own. I mean first Andy, and then you were shot and…"

" _Ah hell, Heather,"_ Matt cut her off. _"Did you say that to him?"_

"Well yeah! I mean what right does he have to lecture me when he clearly is the common denominator in all the men I care for getting hurt?"

" _The common denominator is the job,"_ Casey bit out harshly, too tired and concerned to fully control his emotions. _"I don't have time to talk this out with you again, Heather, I'm sorry. I stand by what I said this morning. It wouldn't be right. I have to find Kelly…now, so I'll talk to you later."_

Before Heather could say anything he was gone, a dial tone the only sound in the dim lit house.

Hanging up rapidly, Matt tossed the phone down on the bed, frustration clear on his face. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he turned to the blonde beside him. "Damnit, well okay. So she screwed that up big time. I mean, I knew it would be an argument but to tell Kel that he caused it all…"

Shay had carefully watched the younger man's face during the exchange with Heather and was beginning to feel a bit concerned. His blue eyes had hardened, stress and concern tinging their depths. "It sounds like he left hours ago…where the hell could he be? I mean, I know Kelly pretty well, but I never imagined he wouldn't come back. Did he go off to run or box or something? Let off some steam?"

Casey shook his head tiredly. "No, it's too late for that. He'd have been back by now. I'm really starting to worry, Shay. Kelly doesn't usually just disappear…"

The two blondes sat side by side, silently worrying about the third member of their newly formed trio. Shay felt guilty just sitting there; Kelly was out there somewhere and she couldn't figure out where. "I'm sorry Matt…I should've stopped him from going. I…"

"Oh God…" Matt cut her off, paling rapidly, the heart monitors beeping quickly.

Shay snapped immediately into paramedic mode, reaching for his wrist. Feeling his rapid pulse, she turned toward the lieutenant. "What, Matt? Does your shoulder hurt? Are you feeling dizzy? The meds could be affecting your blood pressure…"

"No no no," Casey muttered, framing Shay's face with his good hand. She stopped her frantic medical rambling to look at him intently. "I know where Kelly is. You _have_ to go get him, Shay…right now!"

"Where is he?" she asked incredulously. "And how do you know? Is this some brotherly telepathy or something?"

"He's with Andy," Matt continued, ignoring her comment. "He's got to be at the gravesite. It's the only place he'd go… Shay when he goes there, especially by himself…"

"Things go south, I got it!" she concluded, already off the bed and moving to grab her purse. Slinging it over her shoulder, and snagging her phone, she spun to face the blonde. "You'll be okay, right? You still look really pale, Matt."

"I'm fine, just go!" he insisted.

"Alright, but don't move! Or die!" she ordered, practically sliding out the door.

Kelly Severide didn't know how long he'd been kneeling there, feeling the damp grass soak his knees. He didn't feel the freezing wind chapping his lips or hear the 'Doctor Doctor' ringtone drifting jauntily from his pocket. All he could see was the hard granite headstone in front of him, fueling his distraught mind.

"God, Andy…" he whispered dejectedly. "Why'd you do it? Why didn't you listen to Matt? I heard him tell you not to, hell the whole house heard him on the radio! The whole house heard _me_ on the radio, saying there wasn't a vent! Why'd you have to be so goddamned stubborn? You left me…you left Matt…you left Heather and the boys…you just…left."

 _'No, I_ died… _'_

Kelly's head snapped up suddenly, searching the dimly lit graveyard for the source of the voice. "What the hell…" he uttered weakly. "Andy…?"

Seeing no one else in the cemetery, Severide shook his head wearily. "I'm going crazy… I can almost imagine you're here, Darden. God, if only you were. What would today have been like, huh? Would you have been hit instead of Matt? Nahh… the damned hero would've shoved you aside too. And then both of us would've been lecturing the moron about personal safety."

Sniffing lightly, Kelly moved to lean against the edge of the tombstone, reminiscing about his fallen brother. "You always were the first to lecture us about getting hurt on the job. You'd fret over the injured one and yell at the other. 'You're supposed to look after each other…' God, the rants you used to go on. 'Kelly, Matt's the youngest of us. We've got to keep an eye on him out there.' Or when you'd get back from a trip and one of us had a new bruise or something…you'd lecture us about our inability to stay safe when you're gone."

The Squad lieutenant laughed lightly before sobering. "You'd have kicked my ass today, Andy…the past several weeks really. Ever since we lost you, I've been a total ass to Matt. I…I've blamed him for you dying, I've thrown it in his face repeatedly, telling him that I hate him, that he's why you're gone…though I really know you did that yourself, you jackass…I haven't been there for him, and it's shown. He caught on fire the other day, frickin' fire…can you believe that? He got punched by my dad too. And if that wasn't weird enough, your _wife,_ of all people, has been actively pursuing him…"

Lowering his face to his hands, Severide let out a shaky breath. "She blames me too, you know. Says I'm the reason your boys don't have a father. The reason Matt is always in harm's way…in some ways I'm glad you weren't here to see this morning. Our fighting would've torn you, put you between us. And then seeing Matt…God, Andy there was so much blood. They said I was the only thing keeping Matt from bleeding out…from actually dying… and then where would I be? Alone…"

The distraught man shivered briefly, tears coming anew. In that moment, he felt the emotional weight of the day just overwhelm him, sending waves of fear, anger, and worry crashing down. No longer capable of fighting back sobs, he sat huddled, crying unabashedly in the shadow of his fallen brother. He was so distracted, he didn't see the headlights streak across the sleek stones, or notice the lithe figure running frantically towards him.

"Oh God, Kelly!" Shay cried, throwing herself down next to her roommate and encompassing him in a tight hug. Feeling his tears soak her jacket, she held on even tighter, running a hand through his hair. "Shh..shh it's okay. It'll all be okay…"

"Andy's gone, Shay…and I almost…almost lost Matt," he cried, trying to rein in his rampaging emotions.

"But we didn't okay?" She soothed. "Matt's fine, thanks to you, and me of course. But he's alright, he'll make a complete recovery. Besides, the idiot threw himself in front of a speeding bullet…who does he think he is? Superman?"

Kelly let out a watery laugh at that, shakily sitting up from his roommate's embrace. Rubbing a hand wearily over his eyes, he took a deep breath. "How'd you find me anyways?"

"God we were so worried, Kel," Shay admitted, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "And I didn't really find you, Matt did. We got worried when you didn't come back and then I tried your phone and there wasn't an answer. So Matt called Heather…"

"He did what?" Severide cut her off, feeling concern beginning to grow once more.

"Relax, Kel. Matt called to find out what time you left and then they had a brief argument before he hung up. He was desperate to find you and then suddenly he realized you'd be here after what she said to you, so off I went!" she finished with a bit of a flourish, using her hands to emphasize.

Remembering the things Heather said, Kelly hung his head, anger deflating. "Well maybe she was right…"

"Matt didn't think so," Shay insisted, standing up. "He even told her that it wasn't true. C'mon…let's get you cleaned up and in some dry clothes and then let's head back to Little Brother, okay? I'm worried he'll skimp on the chores I left him."

 **So Severide has been recovered! And Matt and Heather have had a brief encounter…will it be the last? Will Matt be okay when the roommates return to the hospital? PLEASE leave me reviews with your thoughts and suggestions! I'm aiming to update again on FRIDAY! Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so SO glad that people are enjoying my writing! I too enjoy Sevasey angst and the wonderful brotherly relationship that they share. The writers on Chicago Fire have such beautiful opportunities that they let slip through their fingers, so I do my best to pick up the slack! Here's the next part of 'Shots Fired'!**

Shay carefully led Severide over to his parked car, noticing the slight shivers wracking the man's frame. "Alright tough guy, where are the keys?"

Kelly seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. "M'okay, Shay…"

"I disagree, so…." Shay shook her head. Ignoring his protests, she began feeling around in the man's pockets until she found the car keys. "Ahah! Alright, climb in, Kel."

Severide sighed and climbed into the passenger seat, emotions still whirling. Shay started the car and cranked the heat on full blast. Making sure Kelly was settled, she slowly pulled out of the parking lot. "How're you feeling?"

"Honestly? I don't know…I mean I knew the talk with Heather would be rough, but I mean…she blames me for Andy, Shay," the Squad Lieutenant started, clearing his throat. "And she says I'm a danger to be around, and that that's why Matt's always hurt. And it really sucked to hear that, you know? I mean…God, Andy was my best friend for forever. I mean I'd known the bastard nearly my whole life. And then his frickin' wife thinks that I'm responsible for him dying…for his kids being fatherless…."

The paramedic's heart clenched painfully, reaching for her roommate's hand. Squeezing lightly, she sighed. "I'm so sorry, Kel. I know she must've really upset you. It's been a really rough day, huh?"

"Yeah, that's an understatement; I mean…the argument and Matt playing hero and then all of this drama…" Severide trailed off suddenly, turning to Shay quickly. "Wait, if you're here, who's with Matt?"

"Uh, the couple dozen nurses, doctors, and surgeons currently working at the hospital?" she offered, heading towards their loft. "We'll just clean you up and then head back there in just a little bit."

"Shay…." Kelly groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "We should just go back now. I'm fine, really…besides you can't just leave Trouble alone like that. Who know what could happen to him?"

"Are your Big Brother senses tingling?"

"No, but…"

"No buts, Severide. We're going to get you into dry, warm clothes and then head back to Matt. He's probably resting, alright? He was looking pretty sleepy when I left him," Shay argued firmly, pulling into their lot.

"He looked tired?" Kelly perked up. "Like exhausted? Or drowsy?"

"Like he'd gone through life-saving surgery a few hours prior," the blonde continued, pulling the fireman out of the car. "Now march upstairs, mister… if you don't strip out of those wet clothes soon, I'm going to have to do it for you."

"You wouldn't…you're not interested in any part of this," he gestured, practically skipping up the stairs.

"No, but I know plenty of nurses who would be," she quipped. "And if I'm going to have to go through the pain of stripping you, I might as well make it worth my while…"

"…Pictures?" he gulped as she unlocked the door.

"Damn right, I was serious about that calendar, Kel…so hop to it! Out of those clothes and into nice, dry and warm ones!" she ordered, snagging him a Gatorade from the fridge. As soon as he was out of sight, she sighed, muttering under her breath. "Matt, you'd better not make me a liar."

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Watching Shay rush to Kelly's aid had come as an immense relief to Casey. The second he'd realized Kelly would be at Andy's gravesite, a terror had filled him. Visiting a grave was never an easy thing, and to visit the grave of a 'brother' who'd recently died was even harder. The few times that he and Kelly had gathered enough courage to go, it had always ended with anger, frustration, tears, and copious amounts of alcohol. The concept of Kelly suffering in silence, with only a headstone as comfort, was terrifying to Matt, especially knowing what Heather had told him. The panic had nearly driven him to rip the IV's from his body and rush to his friend's side himself. Thankfully, Shay had been just as eager to find the squad lieutenant and had set off immediately.

"Kel will be okay…Shay will find him…" he reasoned, feeling relief coursing through him. In the wake of her rapid departure, the injured fireman eased himself back into the pillows, sighing shakily.

The stress and concern for his brother had been building exponentially since he'd noticed the man's absence. Knowing that the blonde paramedic was in the process of rescuing the man helped immensely, but new symptoms appeared in the wake of his respite. Matt's head began to throb at the base of his neck, sending painful stabs in rhythm with his pulse. The shakiness he'd attributed to relief continued to increase, until the lieutenant found himself lightheaded and dazed. Sluggishly, he reached toward the nurses' call button, concern growing. Unfortunately, the blackness clouding his vision proved too strong, and Matt found himself spiraling into unconsciousness.

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A nurse on the third floor frowned at the sudden lack of data from room 313. There weren't any alarms going off though, so she ventured to check in on the patient. The man looked to be sleeping soundly, his heart monitor showing normal rhythms. She noticed the pulse/ox monitor had slipped from his finger and deftly returned it to its proper place. Noting the slight sweat developing on the man's brow, she made a note in his chart before leaving him to sleep. A slight fever with a surgery like his was to be expected, and it seemed to have broken. The doctor would make rounds again soon anyhow.

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Severide quickly stripped out of his clothes, realizing belatedly how wet and cold he actually felt. Shivering slightly, he pulled on warmer clothes and slipped into boots. Shrugging on a sweatshirt, he took the stairs two at a time, eager to return to the hospital.

"Ready!" he called, much like a kid headed to his first day of school.

Shay snickered lightly, pulling a beanie on to his head before handing him the Gatorade. "You feeling better, Kel?"

"Yeah, I'm alright…much warmer," he admitted.

"Excellent! Any self-loathing or extreme guilt?"

"Um…no, I guess not…"

"Good! Because none of this was your fault, and if you insist on blaming yourself, _I'll_ insist on you sleeping here tonight. _I'll_ go back to the hospital without you," Shay threatened, watching the man's eyes as he absorbed her words. Kelly paused before nodding. "Alright then, let's go!

Severide was oddly quiet on the ride to hospital, staring blankly out the window. When they finally arrived and parked, Shay found herself being dragged across the lot, nearly losing her footing.

"Kelly! What're you doing?" she shrieked. The lieutenant ignored her, leading her quickly to the stairs. "Um, elevator? We're not all classically trained at scaling staircases!"

"Brother senses are tingling," he responded tightly, practically hauling the blonde up the three flights of stairs.

At this, the paramedic stopped complaining and did her best to keep up, though she still ended up panting heavily when they reached the third floor. Severide, however, wasted no time in getting to Matt's room, sliding through the doorway as if on ice. Managing to keep his footing, he quickly moved to Casey's bedside.

"Matt?" he said softly, looking his brother over. Matt was pale and breathing shallowly, a sweat on his brow. Perching on the bed, Kelly gently framed his friend's face, frowning at how clammy the man felt. "Matty? C'mon, Matt…talk to me!"

The blonde in question groaned weakly, eyes fluttering weakly. "…el?"

"Hey," Kelly smiled softly. "Hey bud…how're you feeling?"

"S'weird…" Matt slurred, causing Severide to gesture wildly at a newly arrived Shay.

Breathing heavily, the paramedic got the message and turned around to get a doctor. Kelly, meanwhile, turned back to his brother. "What's weird, Matt? Are you sick, man? Dizzy?"

"R'lly light…li…"

"Lightheaded?" Severide guessed. "Since when, Matt?"

"Sh…shay lft…" he managed softly.

"Damnit," the squad lieutenant cursed. "Just hang on bud, okay? Just a second…"

Just then, Shay returned, doctor in tow. The physician immediately moved toward to injured fireman and checked his pulse. Frowning, he looked at the monitors before turning to Matt. "You say you've been feeling lightheaded, Lt. Casey? Anything else?"

"He feels clammy," Kelly supplied quickly.

"Alright, it seems that Lt. Casey is having an adverse reaction to the pain medication that he is receiving. They can, at times, mess with one's blood pressure. In this case, the blood pressure has been lowered. We'll get that changed out right away and the adverse effects should wear off quickly, okay?"

"No, not okay!" Severide began, only to be cut off by Shay.

"Thanks, Doc. That's what we figured," she placated, seeing the doctor out of the room.

A seething Kelly, meanwhile, turned his attention back to Matt. "Hear that, Matty? It'll all be better soon, okay? Just lemme see those blue eyes…please?"

Casey could hear the concern sinking into his friend's voice and tried to do as he asked. Blinking sluggishly, he managed to open them just enough to sooth Kelly's anxiety. "Hi…"

"Hey bud," Kelly smiled, as a nurse moved to switch the pain meds. "Just a little longer, okay?"

"He'll be fine, Kel," Shay soothed, moving to sit near the bed. "But _you_ , Matthew, are in trouble with me. I specifically asked you before I left how you felt, didn't I? I also asked about your blood pressure, didn't I? So please tell me why you decided that it was totally fine to stay quiet on that matter, huh? To not let me help you before I went to rescue Kelly? You almost made a liar out of me, Matt! A liar! Do I look like a liar? Do NOT answer that, Kelly…"

"Okay, easy there, Shay," Severide interrupted, moving to hug the ranting paramedic. "He's sorry, I'm sure…right, Matt?"

The truck lieutenant nodded, finally opening his eyes normally, feeling the lightheadedness disappear. "I'm sorry, Shay. I really didn't know until you left and I tried to press the call button but I think I passed out."

"You did what?" Kelly turned, looking sharply at his younger brother.

"I think I fainted, but it's okay, right? You're okay, Shay rescued you, and now you guys fixed my meds…we're all good again," Matt continued, hoping to escape a lecture this late in the night.

Severide could feel the anxiety and frustration beginning to build up in him once more but sighed deeply instead, scrubbing a hand over his face. "You know what? I'm too tired for this. It's been a hell of a day and we're all a mess. How about we try to get some rest, huh? We can talk more in the morning, with coffee or something."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Shay agreed, moving towards the bed. "Scoot over, Blondie!"

"Shay..." Kelly warned, stopping when he saw the two blondes reclining comfortably, Matt even handing Shay the bed control. "Alright, Goldilocks, and what am I supposed to do?"

"Well I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to catch the two of you in bed together," she countered, pointing to one of the bags she'd provided earlier. "There's a pillow and sleeping bag in the duffel, and I suppose there're always those lovely chairs."

Grumbling halfheartedly, Severide retrieved the aforementioned items and made himself a comfy camp in the corner of the darkened room. Glancing over at the blondes happily cocooned in the hospital bed, he couldn't help but smiled. If he could always count on these two people being in his life, he could handle any heartache the world decided to send his way.

 **So….whatdya think? Leave me some reviews people! Let me know your thoughts! Should I release Matt from the hospital? Should I show some TLC at the Shaveride loft? Has Heather given up so easily?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my Dearly Devoted Readers! I do apologize for the delay, but I was in the process of moving and resettling in for a new school year! As of this update, my stories shall begin to be updated every weekend, perhaps earlier in some cases. I know this may come as a disappointment to some, so I've created a one shot that'll go up tomorrow to help you cope! PLEASE continue to review and feel free to leave me suggestions or requests for future stories!**

Severide woke sluggishly, stretching with a slight groan. His neck was killing him and for a moment, he couldn't remember why. Then he opened his eyes fully, noticing the sickening smell of antiseptic and the steady beeps of the sleeping person in the bed near him. Stiffly, he rose from his makeshift camp, feeling more popping and stretching as he did. Sinking into the chair, Kelly felt a bit of annoyance growing within him, having been forced to sleep on the ground.

The feeling, however, dissipated immediately when he caught sight of his two best friends sleeping in the hospital bed. Snickering silently, Severide took a quick shot on his phone. Shay was sprawled out across the majority of the bed, one leg hanging off, one arm splayed across Casey's midriff. Her blonde hair was fanned out across the pillow, covering a portion of Matt's head. The truck lieutenant, on the other hand, was small and unobtrusive, sleeping on his good side. It appeared that Matt had been the typical gentleman, attempting to stay out of Shay's personal space. The paramedic, however, was just as large and present in sleep as she was in life, practically forcing herself into the space and hearts of those around her.

"You goofballs," Kelly laughed quietly. "I don't know what I'd do without you though…you guys are the only real family I've got now."

"Ugh…Kel…you ruined my beauty sleep with your stupid sentiment…" Shay muttered sleepily, rolling closer to Matt. "Yeah yeah, we love you too…big brother to us all…"

Laughing more, Severide moved to Matt's side of the bed. "Sorry, Shay, but it _is_ almost 9. With any luck, Matt will be cleared to leave in the next hour or so! And then we can all go home!"

"Go h'me?" the injured fireman muttered, wearily blinking back sleep.

Kelly moved to ruffle his friend's hair, brushing aside Shay's blonde locks. "Yeah, bud, we can go home…get you some more rest, decent food…all good things."

"Sounds good," Matt agreed, waking more fully. He winced slightly at a twinge from his shoulder, earning a brief worried look from Kelly. "It's just stiff, Kel."

"Well I'm not surprised…look at your sleep partner, man! At least tonight you'll have your own bed to relax in. No lounging Leslies to worry about."

"Hey!" Shay quipped.

"Or sleeping Shays? That better?" amended the squad lieutenant. "I mean honestly, Shay…I'm glad I've never had to share a bed with you."

"That's not what you used to say," she shot back, climbing out of the hospital bed. "You used to use every line in the arsenal to try to earn your way into my bed."

"Oooooh," Matt laughed as Severide stood slack-jawed. "Way to go, Shay!"

"Now, men in my life, I'm off to fetch Matt's doctor," she continued. "Maybe Kel's right and we can go home soon."

Casey continued to laugh unabashedly at his friend's shocked face, doubling over with the effort. Kelly was about to retort when he saw Matt's face contort into pain. Perching on the bed, he gently helped his brother sit upright once more.

"Whoa, easy there, Matty…we need you to get a clean bill of health, remember?"

"Yeah, I know…it just tweaked the wrong way for a second. I'm fine…" Matt managed, slowly exhaling. "Thanks, Kel."

Before the man could respond, Shay returned with the doctor in tow. The physician smiled at the pair of fireman, happy that the past night had proved beneficial to them both. "Ah, Lieutenant Casey, you're looking pretty remarkable for a man nearly dead on my table less than 24 hours ago. How are we feeling?"

"I'm doing pretty well, I think. My shoulder still twinges from time to time, and only likes certain movements, but I think that's probably normal," Matt answered honestly.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I'd say that that is perfectly normal, all things considered. I'm quite happy with how you've improved over the last few hours. As long as you're not returning home alone, I'm comfortable with discharging you, dependent on a few things, of course."

"He's coming home with us," Severide assured him.

"I would've expected nothing less," he smiled. "Now, Lt. Casey, you are to return in one week's time to get those stitches removed. Until then, they're not to get wet, understand? You'll be in that sling for several weeks and might have to have a session or two of physical therapy, depending on the mobility. I'm sending you home with some pain meds, to be taken in moderation, of course. You mustn't operate any heavy machinery under their influence. If you have any symptoms like you experienced last night, return to the hospital immediately. Over the next few days you must try your very best to avoid stress. A slight fever may occur as your body attempts to recover, no need to worry. As long as it remains below 103 your friends can bring it down with cool cloths and medication."

"Is there anything else, doc?" Shay asked.

"Not that I can think of," he assured her. "I'll just settle the paperwork and you should be all set to check out. Not that it hasn't been a pleasure, Lieutenants, but do try to stay out of my hospital for a while."

"Thanks, Doctor, we'll do our best," Kelly agreed.

"So expect to see one of them in 3-4 weeks," Shay quipped lightheartedly as the doctor left the room.

"We're not _that_ bad," argued Kelly.

"Yeah, we'd make a month, at least," Matt protested.

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Just over an hour later, the trio made their way successfully back to the loft, Kelly supporting a slightly stumbling Matt. Gently leading his brother over to the couch, Severide bit back a laugh as the man dropped onto the cushions, much like a tired toddler.

"Do you want to head upstairs, Matt?" he offered. "Get some more sleep?"

"No…seems too far away to be honest," the blonde admitted. "I'm going to just …sit here for a bit, I think. Want to watch a movie or something?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Kelly agreed, collapsing next to his brother. "Want to pick?"

Casey shook his head, moving to lean on Kelly's broad shoulder. "Nah, I'll sleep through most of it anyways. Take your pick."

Shay just smiled at the two firefighters before moving upstairs. She desperately wanted a shower and a nap in her own bed.

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True to his word, Matt lasted barely 30 minutes before he was sound asleep, still using Severide as a pillow. Kelly, meanwhile, flipped through channels before settling on a James Bond movie marathon. Figuring he'd be in for the long haul as Matt's head rest, he settled in, sinking further into the couch.

That was how Shay found them, hours later, as she reemerged from her room. Smiling at the sight of Matt sleeping comfortably on his brother's shoulder, she quietly tiptoed nearer. Kelly looked up as she approached, the television barely audible. "He's been out almost the entire time."

"His body needs the rest," she reasoned. "How is he besides that?"

"Began to feel a bit warm a little while ago," Severide informed, prompting Shay to feel the injured fireman's forehead. "How bad?"

"It doesn't feel too high," she decided. "Nothing to wake him up for, at least."

The squad lieutenant nodded thoughtfully. "I was so excited to think of having him home that I sort of overlooked the fact that just about 24 hours ago he was in surgery…that he'd just been shot."

"He's okay, Kel," Shay soothed. "I know you worry but Matt's healing nicely. A fever isn't anything to be too concerned about. How about we move him to a more comfortable position? And then you can go run or something…let off some steam. I think you might want to after everything."

Kelly seemed to pause, considering it, before agreeing. "Okay, I guess that's a good idea. Hand me that pillow?"

Together, the roommates maneuvered the slumbering lieutenant so that he was lying down, stretched out along the length of the couch. Shay smoothed back the hair from his forehead, once more checking his temperature. Deeming it to still be in a safe range, she turned to the other fireman, urging him from the room.

"Seriously, Kel, I've got him, okay? Go run, or box or something…Little Brother and I will be just fine."

"Really? Because the last time I left you in charge of him, you came chasing after me," Severide pointed out halfheartedly.

"Yes, well, you needed me," she argued. "Besides, I promise not to sprint after you as long as you return when you're told to."

Rolling his eyes, Kelly agreed. "Alright, fine. I'm headed to box for a little bit, okay? I'll be back in about an hour. Call me if anything happens."

The blonde nodded, waving him out the door. Matt was sleeping peacefully and she was going to start working quietly on dinner. What could possibly go wrong?

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As luck would have it, Heather wasn't satisfied by the blatant dismissal she'd received the night before. It wasn't enough that Kelly had interrupted her attempt to persuade Matt that morning, no, he had, somehow, managed to turn the man completely against her.

"It just isn't fair," she fumed, exiting the hospital. "Matt and I have a real shot of being happy, of moving beyond all of this grief and heartache. And all Kelly Severide can do is tear us apart…well not for long…"

After finding out that Matt had been discharged previously that morning, Heather made her way across town, to the Shayveride loft. Taking a deep breath to settle her emotions, she moved through the hall, trying to remember the apartment they lived in. Severide had told her at one point or another. Finally locating the right door, she knocked brusquely.

Hearing a knock on the door, Shay hurried to open it. "Did you forget…" her joke trailed off as she realized who stood on the other side. "Heather…"

"Hello, Leslie, where is he?" she asked sharply.

"Who? Kelly? The man you tried to drown in guilt and suicidal thoughts? Or Matt? The man you're hopelessly pursuing in hopes to forget your dead husband?" the paramedic snapped, emotions getting the best of her. "Because either one, I'm not letting you near."

"You have no right!" Heather screeched. "Kelly deserves to feel guilty for what he did! For killing my husband, for dragging him into firefighting in the first place, for turning Matt against me! And Matt and I have a chance for real love, for happiness with one another!"

"Matt doesn't need any unnecessary stress," Shay protested, trying to shush the other woman. "He's been through an awful lot and needs to recover. He doesn't need you forcing him into anything…look Heather I'm sure what you're going through has been unbearable…to lose your husband so suddenly and all…"

"You know nothing!"

"Shay…?" softly called from inside the loft, silencing both women. Shay turned slightly to see Casey standing shakily, close to the kitchen.

"Matt, you okay?" she asked, concerned. His eyes had a glazed look to them.

"Of course he's not okay, he was shot, you stupid…" Heather snapped.

"Hey!" Matt cut her off, voice suddenly stronger. "Heather, stop it. What are you even doing here?"

"I came to see you, Matt," she explained, trying to push past Shay. "I knew you were confused last night. You didn't mean what you said. I know that now, so I came to talk. We can still be together, Matt. There can still be an 'us'. But I need to hear you say it. I need you to admit that you want it too."

"Heather, I'm sorry…I told you already…I told you yesterday, and last night," Matt persisted, stumbling towards the door. "It wouldn't be right. I don't feel about you that way, okay? We wouldn't be good for each other anyway… You're just upset, you lost Andy, I get it…"

The woman in the hallway was beginning to look more and more upset. "You DON'T get it, Matthew. Andy's dead, alright? Gone! He's never coming back, I've accepted it. SO why the hell does everyone treat it like this is cheating? He's DEAD! Your _brother_ Kelly killed him!"

"Alright, now wait just a second…" Shay started, only to be cut off by Matt.

"Kelly didn't kill Andy, Heather! The fire did! So quit blaming him! _I'm_ the one that put him through the window, _I_ was his lieutenant. I'm so tired of you blaming him…" he ranted.

"Then maybe you're right, Matt," Heather smiled bitterly. "Maybe you're the real murderer here. You were, after all, the last person to ever see my husband alive…should I tell that to Ben and Griffin when they get home? That their uncle just…watched…"

"That's ENOUGH," Shay yelled suddenly, moving to stand in front of the injured fireman. "Heather I'm sorry about Andy, we all are. But you do NOT get the right to stand at my door and yell and bully anyone you see fit, especially my family. So get the hell out of my building before I call the police! And don't even think about coming near either of my boys again in the near future!"

With that, she slammed the door, locking it in one smooth move. Exhaling in a slight scream, she spun to face Matt. The hurt and shock on his face had her immediately moving to embrace him, careful of his shoulder. "Oh God, Matt…Are you okay? She's wrong…"

The man in question didn't respond, just shaking his head weakly. Shay grew concerned at the heat she felt rising off of him, as well as the trembling of his taller form. "C'mon, let's get you back on that couch, huh?"

The fireman weakly followed her lead, settling back on the couch with a small whimper of pain. Shay then ran to grab a Gatorade, ibuprofen, and a thermometer. Opening the drink, she encouraged the distraught man to drink some before popping the pills. Then she expertly slipped the thermometer under his tongue. While it calculated, she ran a hand soothingly through his hair.

"It'll all be okay, Matt…All of this will be over soon…."

Reading his temperature, she eased the blonde back into a comfortable lying position, properly supported by pillows. His fever wasn't too bad yet, only 101, and the medicine should help in lowering it soon enough. Perching herself on the coffee table, she continued to talk softly to her friend, running her fingers lightly through his hair until he drifted off to sleep.

Returning to her meal prep she considered calling Kelly, but Heather was gone for now, and the damage done. There wasn't much Big Brother could do at that moment, and Matt was sleeping again. Besides, Kelly needed this break too. Resolve hardened, she grabbed her knife and began furiously chopping vegetables. She needed to blow off steam too, but vacuuming would have to wait.

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Matt tossed restlessly, voices resounding loudly through his head. _You killed Andy! You killed my husband! How could you, Matt?_ He moaned lightly, trying to escape his subconscious. Kelly and Heather just stood there, yelling at him, accusing him of murdering Andy.

Suddenly Boden was there too, and Hermann. _You're no longer fit for duty, Casey. I can't have a lieutenant that can't even save his own men! How are we supposed to follow you? To trust you to have our backs in the heat?_

Matt flailed in his delirium, nearly falling off the couch. Shay noticed the sudden movement and hurried towards him. "Matt?"

In his mind, Shay was replaced by Hallie, hurrying towards him. _Is it true? Did you really send Andy in to die? How can I ever love you again, Matt? How could we ever have a family? You're a monster! Just like your mother!_

"No no no no…." he muttered, eyes snapping wide. Unseeing, he scrambled off the couch, backing into a corner.

Shay noticed the glazed look his eyes still had and cursed quietly. "Matt? Matt, it's Shay…you're okay…you're in our loft."

The fireman just shook his head, curled in as small a ball as he could manage with his shoulder. _Uncle Matt, why'd you do it? Why'd you kill Daddy?_

The paramedic, meanwhile, whipped out of the room to her forgotten cell phone. Quickly selecting the speed dial, she waiting anxiously as it dialed. "C'mon c'mon c'mon..pick up, Kel, pick up!"

" _Hey Shay, what's up? I told you I'd be back in just a little bit…I'm like 10 minutes out now,"_ he drawled, sounding much more relaxed.

"Oh thank GOD, Kel I need you to get home, right now! Like make it 5 minutes!"

" _What's wrong?"_

"Matt's fever, he's delusional and Heather was here and yelling and he's a wreck, Kel. We can't let him hurt himself, if he pulls those stitches…"

" _Shit, I'm on my way, hold on!"_

Turning back to Matt in the corner, Shay heard Kelly's engine revving and prayed he'd be back in time to stop the self-destruction she was witnessing.

 **Well…what did you guys think? Dun Dun Duhhhhh! Will this be the end of Heather? Will Kelly be able to get through to Matt? Will Matt hurt himself along the way? Let me know! The one shot will go up tomorrow! I'll be anxiously awaiting your reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everybody! Thank you so much for being so patient with me! Here is the next installation, as promised. There won't be too much more of this story, maybe a chapter or two? But I'll be sure to give you guys what you request! Let's see if Kelly can manage to help his younger brother, huh?**

Leslie Shay crouched next to her fevered friend, trying to keep her tone gentle and soft. "Matt, easy Matt…it's okay…"

The blonde man kept staring past her, shaking his head. He crunched into an even tighter ball, inadvertently yelping as he wrenched his hurt shoulder the wrong way. "I'm sorry… God I'm so sorry…"

"Shh…Matt, you're okay…" Shay soothed, reaching for his healthy shoulder. The second she touched it, the man flailed, obviously startled. "Easy, easy Matt…"

The fevered firefighter began shivering violently, sinking his fingernails into each bicep. "What am I going to do, oh God, what have I done?"

"Matt…Matt, c'mon, Matthew," the paramedic continued, frantically trying to approach the man. "Matt, you're gonna hurt yourself… shit…"

The blonde woman did her best to secure the panicking man, locking him in a tight hug. She could feel the heat emanating from his skin, the delirious mumbling continuing to pour out of his mouth. Shay kept shushing him soothingly, struggling against the much stronger fireman. There was a sudden banging of footsteps before the apartment door was flung open. Kelly took one look at the pair in the corner before sprinting to their side. Dropping roughly to his knees, Kelly took a shaky breath.

"God, Shay, what do we do?"

"Here, c'mere, Kel," she urged, switching places with him. "Hold him. Keep him as still as you can, okay? We don't need him hurting his shoulder more."

Severide did as she suggested and moved to sit next to his brother, embracing him as tightly as he dared. For a few minutes, they sat there, Shay running a hand through the blonde hair as he muttered apologies over and over again. Matt struggled against the squad lieutenant's hold, but Kelly held tight, eventually wearing out the exhausted man in his grasp. Still shivering lightly, Matt seemed to relax in his brother's embrace, a few tears of fatigue and delirium slipping down his cheeks.

Kelly sighed, moving to hold Matt in a more comfortable position. "Damn, Matt…what the hell happened?"

The still-fevered blonde instinctively settled into his friend's arms, blue eyes glassy and unfocused. "Sorry…so s'rry…"

Shay moved to grab the thermometer from the nearby table. "His fever's been gradually rising since you left, but I was keeping an eye on it. We weren't in the danger zone. But then Heather came and Matt argued with her. I helped him fall back asleep, but then he started mumbling and panicking and apologizing every other word…"

Kelly felt himself tensing at the mention of Heather's name. Taking the thermometer from Shay, he moved to face the feverish blonde more fully. "Hey Matty…open up, bud…" It took a bit of convincing, but Severide finally managed to get the instrument under his friend's tongue and took the reading. "101.7, that's pretty high, huh?"

Shay nodded. "Yeah, but it's not in the danger zone yet. We just need to keep it from climbing any higher. I'm going to go grab some ice, see if you can get him to talk some more…"

"Matty, c'mon bud…talk to me…" Kelly coaxed.

"K…Kel?"

"Yeah, buddy, I'm here. You're gonna be just fine, okay?"

"I'm s'rry, God I'm s'rry, Kel…what am I gonna do? I…I killed, I killed Andy…God I'm so sorry!" the blonde anguished. "I did it, I…I k'lld…I m'rdered your br'ther."

Severide felt his blood chill as he heard the fevered slurs of his surrogate brother. "Oh God, no Matty, no…no you didn't."

When Shay returned, she found a distraught Kelly tightly hugging an equally upset Casey, the older man shushing all of the apologies. The shaken look in her roommate's eyes made her pause. "Kel…?"

"You got that ice? We need to get him lucid, we need him lucid _now_ Shay," he bypassed, sitting Matt up straighter. "We need this…this _madness_ to stop right now."

"Let's get him up on the couch," Shay decided, moving out of the way as Kelly carefully stood the injured man up. Once he was laid out on the couch, the paramedic went about placing ice packs strategically around the man; in his armpits, the back of his neck, and one on his chest. "What's going on, Kel?"

"You tell me, Shay? He's all upset and confused because of the fever! He thinks we're all blaming him for Andy…he's a mess!" Severide ranted. "He's a frickin' mess and nothing we say is making any difference. How long is he gonna be like this, Shay? How long is he gonna be stuck thinking we all hate him for Andy?"

"The fever and meds can sometimes pair together to cause delirium…I guess the arguing with Heather spiraled and now, Matt's stuck. If we can break his fever, then we can get him lucid again, and deal with this. He may not even remember what happened, Kel…" Shay explained, trying to calm the man. "We just need to break his fever. He took meds shortly before I called you and the ice should help. The important thing now is just to keep him calm."

Kelly scrubbed a hand over his face. "Calm, right…calm."

With a frustrated sigh, the squad lieutenant sank down onto the coffee table across from his brother. Gripping the delusional man's hand, Kelly settled in for the long haul, repeatedly assuring his fevered friend that it was all okay, that nobody blamed him.

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Nearly an hour after storming into his apartment, Kelly finally felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. Matt was finally in a deep, uninterrupted sleep. Running a hand through his hair, the lieutenant stood up, moving to the stairs. He hadn't seen Shay in a bit and was a bit concerned. He knew he shouldn't have snapped earlier, but he was concerned. He'd finally gotten semi-relaxed after hitting the gym when Shay had called, frantic about Matt. Arriving home, he was confronted with a delusional brother thrashing in the arms of his much smaller roommate. The whole day had been too much and his concern had caused him to lash out at his best friend and roommate.

Once he reached the top of the stairs, he headed towards Shay's room. The woman in question was sitting at the head of the bed, knees folded up under her chin. Kelly knocked lightly on the door before moving to sit on the edge of the bed

"Hey, Shay," he greeted softly.

"Hey, how's Matt?" she asked in response.

"He's asleep. He stopped mumbling finally," Kelly informed. "Look, Shay…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier. I…"

"No, I understand, Kel," Shay smiled tightly. "I let Heather get to Matt and then I couldn't handle it when he cracked. Even a tired, injured fireman is more than I can handle…"

Severide shook his head, moving to hug the blonde. "No, none of this is your fault, and Trouble is often more than I can handle. It's just been a long couple of days and we all need some down time, right? Let's just get Matt lucid and then we can all have an easy night in, maybe move past all this drama."

Shay hugged him back. "That sounds good, Kel. I think we could all use the rest. Let's head down and finish the dinner I started, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. That way, we can watch over Matt too; see when he wakes up."

With that, the duo headed back down the stairs to work on food and watch over the sleeping companion. Only time would tell if Heather's words had done more emotional damage than they thought, but for now, Matt was resting peacefully.

 **Well? Will Matt remember? Will he have hurt himself more than Shay thought? Will they finally be able to move past the Heather Darden Drama? Leave me a review with your thoughts! I'm hoping to post a oneshot featuring some Severide angst for a change on Wednesday…keep an eye out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm overwhelmed by how much love this story has gotten over the past few weeks. This is the end of the road for this story, but fear not! My writing will continue! TOMORROW the oneshot involving hurt!Severide will be up. Feel free to review or PM me ideas or requests for future stories!**

Casey woke up slowly, feeling heavy and confused. He felt as if he'd swallowed cobwebs, cotton filling his head. Wearily blinking his eyes open, he smelled something cooking. The lights were dim and the room barely visible. For a second, Matt didn't understand where he was. He moved to sit up when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Letting out a startled yelp, the blonde fell back onto the couch, clutching at his right shoulder.

The sudden noise grabbed Severide's attention. "Shit!" he exclaimed, moving from the kitchen. "Matt? You okay?"

Matt couldn't focus on anything other than the sharp pain from this shoulder. He didn't feel his brother lifting him in to a sitting position. He didn't notice the set of hands prying his from his shoulder, or recognize the anxious voice talking calmly to him.

"Matt…Matty….c'mon buddy…breathe, just breathe," Kelly instructed, holding the hand away from the wound. After a several anxious moments, he could see the pain on his friend's face slowly easing. Blue eyes slowly blinked open to look weakly up at him. "There we go…you with me, man?"

"…yeah," Casey breathed weakly.

"Good, how bad is your shoulder?" Severide asked, squeezing the uninjured one comfortingly.

"It's not too bad now, I just jarred it sitting up I think," Matt decided, the memories from the last few days finally returning. His eyes widened as he remembered the confrontation with Heather. "Oh God…"

"Matt? What is it?" Kelly asked, concern growing.

"Andy…Heather said I…"

"She's wrong," Severide cut him off, squeezing the shoulder again. "Whatever she said, she's wrong."

"She's gonna tell the boys, Kel…she's gonna tell them I did it, that I _killed_ Andy! I…I…" Matt continued, panicking.

Kelly hugged the distraught brother to him, shushing his muttering. "No she won't, I promise. You didn't do anything wrong, Matt. It'll all be okay…"

"Yes he did…" came a voice from the kitchen.

Both heads whipped around to view Shay walking towards them with first aid supplies. Kelly looked guarded. "What?!"

"You should've let me handle Heather, Matt," Shay explained, moving to sit next to the fireman. "I appreciate you standing up for me when she got mad but you didn't need to step in for me. I can handle myself. I'm not a damsel."

Kelly sighed in relief. "That what you did, Trouble? Treat Shay like a damsel? Shame on you…"

Matt managed a small laugh at that. "I guess I did…"

"I appreciate it though. Means you're a good friend," Shay smiled. "Now let's check out that shoulder of your's, hmm? Kelly be a good boy and go check on dinner for me."

Severide rolled his eyes at his roommate but did what she asked him to do. As he left the room to see to the food, Shay turned to the man sitting next to her. Matt looked calmer than before but he still reached for his injured shoulder. Shay turned on the light next to her, moving the shirt away from the bandaged wound. Noting the blood on the bandage, she hissed slightly. Removing the bandages, she noted the few popped stitches.

"Ooooh you pulled some stitches here, blondie…" she muttered, closely inspecting the damage.

"How'd I do that?" Matt asked, confusion evident. "I don't remember doing anything…"

"You fell off the couch, for one thing," she explained, gently poking the wound. "It looks pretty good though, overall. No need to take you back to the ER if you don't mind me fixing the few stitches you pulled."

"Is that a good idea?" Kelly voiced from the kitchen, concern evident.

"No, you're right, Kel. What was I thinking?" Shay drawled sarcastically. "I've never done anything like this before."

"Alright, alright…" he conceded, raising his hands in surrender. "I get it. Medical professional in the house…"

Casey snickered softly. "Careful, Kel…she could stitch your mouth up…"

Shay ignored the gentle bickering and began carefully numbing the shoulder so she could replace the couple of stitches the blonde was missing. Kelly noticed her beginning to work and moved to sit next to Matt, distracting him with more banter.

"Oh you think so, huh?" he smirked. "Maybe I can get Shay to stitch you to the couch. Let's see you get in trouble then!"

Shay did her best to work quickly, ignoring the small winces of pain from her counterpart. When she was finished, she rewrapped the bandage and gave the blonde man an affectionate hair ruffle. "Alright, you two…we feeling ready for some food and maybe a movie? Time to unwind?"

"I think that that is an excellent idea," Matt agreed, mentally shaking the emotional trauma from his head. "I'm sorry for all of this, guys…"

"Don't worry, Trouble," Kelly dismissed. "We would probably kill ourselves to escape the boredom if you didn't mix things up from time to time."

With that, the three friends settled in to enjoy the warm food and comfort of watching a movie side by side on the couch.

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A few hours later, Shay carefully untangled herself from the snuggly pile of firemen. Placing a pillow where she had been, she turned to look at the two slumbering men. Kelly had an arm protectively wrapped around the younger lieutenant's shoulders, careful of the wound. Both men had their heads tilted back, mouth's open in identical fashions. Matt had a tight hold on the sleeve of his brother's shirt, securing each other in the space. Shay smiled, taking yet another picture of her 'boys' before quietly slipping from the room. She had something she had to take care of.

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Early the next morning, Heather Darden began to run through the routine of preparing her sons for school. Passing her foyer she was slightly alarmed to see a manila envelope lying on the floor. Cautiously she picked it up, opening the missive. A single photo fell out, followed by a letter. Picking up the photo, she was surprised to see a collage of Kelly and Matt, some of the pictures obviously taken without their knowledge. It was surprising to Heather to see the heartfelt emotions that men obviously shared for one another; the brotherly bond she'd tried so hard to ignore. Moving onto the letter, she was surprised to see the neat, feminine script.

 _Heather,_

 _I know how hard all of this must have been for you. To lose Andy, your husband and love of your life. To be emotionally distraught and angry at the world for what has happened. But you can't continue to take it out on everyone around you. I know you're probably confused as to why you're reading this, to why I sent you a collage of quite possibly your two least favorite people._

 _I also know that you'd do anything for your two boys. That you'd go to any length to make Griffin and Ben happy, to protect them from anything you could. Well, so would I. And those are_ my _boys. Kelly is my Griffin: the older one with some trust issues and a tendency to lash out with his words. Matt is my Ben: the young one with an eager-to-please attitude and a hell of a puppy dog pout._

 _Just like you'd do anything to protect them, I'd do anything to protect mine. So I'm going to warn you one last time. Do NOT come around here tearing them apart. They're not to blame for Andy's death and they already feel like hell without you coming around to remind them constantly. So I'm asking you, as a protective, maternal figure…stay the hell away from my family, from my boys._

 _-Leslie Shay_

 **So that's IT! What did we think? What do we want next? Are we excited for my Severide oneshot tomorrow? How shall I injure the magnificent Squad Lieutenant? Leave me a review!**


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